TOKYO – Engineers with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are working to save their Moon lander mission after becoming the fifth country to successfully land on the lunar surface.
JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission launched in September from Japan and arrived in lunar orbit on Christmas. SLIM successfully touched down on the Moon on Jan. 20, making history for Japan. Last year, India became the fourth country to land on the Moon after the U.S., Russia and China.
While the landing was successful, JAXA said SLIM’s solar cells were not generating power.
JAPAN BECOMES 5TH COUNTRY TO SUCCESSFULLY LAND ON MOON
The space agency said once its battery level reached 12%, the battery was turned off, powering off SLIM about three hours after arriving at the Moon.
On Monday, JAXA said they are waiting for sunlight to hit the solar cells in hopes of powering SLIM back up.
“According to the telemetry data, SLIM’s solar cells are facing west,” JAXA said. “So if sunlight begins to shine on the lunar surface from the west, there is a possibility of generating power, and we are preparing for recovery. SLIM can operate with power only from the solar cells.”
The good news is that JAXA has data and imagery from the landing descent and on the lunar surface.
“We’re currently conducting a detailed analysis, and are relieved to see that we obtained a lot of data,” JAXA said.
The space agency plans to make an announcement about the SLIM mission in the coming days.