ispace's Lunar Landing and the Power of Failure

One of the popular Japanese proverbs, “Shippai wa seikou no moto,” is literally translated into English as “Failure is the basis of success,” which means that every failure is a stepping stone to success. According to today’s breaking news, the Japanese lunar exploration company, ispace, attempted to land its first cargo (launched by a SpaceX rocket last December) on the moon, but the cargo was likely to crash on the surface last April. ispace’s CEO, Hakamada, said, “Despite not completing the mission, we have acquired a great deal of data and experience to make it work next time.” This must be the hardest moment for them due to the unexpected failure. But this is the exact case of “Shippai wa seikou no moto.” I wish them every success in their future endeavors.

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