Japan’s Lander Lands on Moon, But Losing Power Rapidly Endangering Its Success

Japan became the fifth nation to be successful in the soft landing on the moon with its ‘Moon Sniper’ robotic explorer. But it is feared that the mission may end abruptly as the spacecraft’s solar cell is not generating electricity, reported CNN quoting the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, mission landed on the lunar surface just after 10:20 am ET Friday (12:20 am local time), according to telemetry data shared on JAXA’s live broadcast.

After landing on Moon, the lander is operating on limited battery power which may last several hours. The JAXA scientists are trying hard to sort out the solar cell issue of the lander. The solar cell may not be functioning as the spacecraft may not be facing the intended direction.

According to CNN, there is still hope that as the solar angle changes on the moon, the solar cell may be able to charge again, but that may take some time and will depend on whether SLIM can survive the frigid lunar night, the team shared during a news conference.

The agency believes the mission has met the criteria to declare it a “minimum success,” because the spacecraft achieved a precise and soft lunar landing using optical navigation. The landing makes Japan the third country to land on the moon this century, and the fifth overall.

The lander was able to release its two lunar rovers, LEV-1 and LEV-2. Meanwhile, the team is receiving a signal from LEV-1 and will see if its cameras were able to capture any images, and they will not definitively confirm the status of LEV-2 until more data is received.