A Japanese space exploration company said Wednesday there was “a high probability” that its vehicle crashed while trying to land on the moon. The vehicle from ispace launched on a SpaceX rocket from Florida in December. It sent images of Earth back to Tokyo throughout its trip. The vehicle entered the moon’s orbit on March 21. If the project had succeeded, ispace would have been the first private business to make a moon landing. Space agencies of the United States, former Soviet Union and China have succeeded in such efforts. The ispace lander was carrying a rover, a vehicle to explore the moon’s surface, provided by the United Arab Emirates. A small robot was also on the flight. Ispace officials told reporters later on Wednesday that its lander may have run out of fuel and crashed. The last communication showed the vehicle low on fuel and the lander increasing in speed. Chief technology officer Ryo Ujiie called it a “free fall.” Takeshi Hakamada started ispace in 2010. Hakamada said another moon-landing attempt is planned for next year. The goal of ispace is to become a transport service to the moon for equipment and other goods. The company has raised $300 million to cover its first three missions. “We will keep going, never quit the lunar quest,” Hakamada said.