New Delhi, June 6 -- Japan's private space company ispace is facing uncertainty after its lunar lander Resilience attempted a historic moon touchdown early Friday, only to fall silent shortly after its scheduled landing time. The blackout has triggered a tense wait for confirmation as flight controllers pore over data from the final descent.

The mission marked ispace's second lunar attempt, a follow-up to its 2023 moonshot that ended in a crash.

Launched from Florida in January, Resilience entered lunar orbit last month. Its final descent targeted a flat plain in the Mare Frigoris, or "Sea of Cold," a relatively benign region on the moon's near-north side. The selected landing site, with its smooth terrain and sparse boulder coverage, w...