Japanese startup Ispace conceded Wednesday its attempt to become the first company to land on the moon had ended in failure, but pledged to move ahead with new missions.

The unmanned Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander had been scheduled to touch down on the moon's surface overnight, but about 25 minutes after the landing was to have occurred, the firm could not establish contact.

"It has been determined that there is a high probability that the lander eventually made a hard landing on the moon's surface," Ispace said in a statement.