On September 7, Japan’s space agency JAXA launched the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) spacecraft. Today, at around 12:20 am, Japan’s spaceship landed on the moon successfully. The USA, Russia, and China have previously explored the lunar surface.
On August 5, India’s Chandrayaan 3 spacecraft landed about 600km from the Moon’s South Pole. India is now the 4th country to reach the moon. Japan follows as the 5th country with its successful slim spacecraft landing, leaving a mark on the lunar surface.
Japan faced challenges launching the Slim spacecraft, with three scheduled dates facing issues and the project initially put on hold. Eventually, the Slim spacecraft was successfully launched on September 7th and has now landed on the moon.
The Slim spacecraft is facing an issue with its solar panels, unable to generate electricity. It seems there might be a landing angle mistake. Japan’s space agency is working to fix this, but currently, the spacecraft relies solely on its battery for exploration since the solar panels aren’t functioning. The main focus is on transferring data to Earth.
The spacecraft’s battery will last “a few hours,” according to Hitoshi Kuninaka, the chief of JAXA Research Center. He explained that it takes 30 days for the moon to shift the sun’s angle. When this happens, the sunlight hitting the solar cell from a different direction will restore its functions. NASA’s Deep Space Network reported a loss of signal from the SLIM spacecraft. It’s unclear if this is temporary or a power-saving measure. The “Moon Sniper” aimed to land within 100 meters of its target.
JAXA mentioned that the Moon Sniper will be a valuable tool for exploring the mountainous lunar pols, unlike traditional multikilometer precision methods. Japan is taking a significant role in space exploration, collaborating with the United States to counter China in various space projects.
