The Moon Lander from Japan Experiences a Revival
On Monday, the Japanese space agency announced that the moon lander has been revived, allowing it to continue its mission of exploring the lunar surface despite encountering challenges at the beginning.
The unexpected announcement provided a significant boost to Japan’s space program, occurring nine days after the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) made a precarious touchdown with its solar panels facing the wrong direction.
On social media platform X, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) shared the exciting news, stating, “Last evening we succeeded in establishing communication with SLIM and resumed operations!” Accompanied by a grainy image of a lunar rock referred to as a “toy poodle,” JAXA reported the successful restart of scientific observations using the lander’s multiband spectroscopic camera (MBC).
Japan’s Historic Lunar Landing on January 20
The January 20 landing marked Japan as the fifth nation to achieve a “soft landing” on the moon, following the United States, the Soviet Union, China, and India. However, during its descent, known as the “20 minutes of terror,” SLIM encountered engine problems, resulting in a skewed angle upon landing, as revealed in images released by JAXA.
This misalignment positioned the solar panels facing west instead of upwards, raising concerns about whether they would receive sufficient sunlight for proper functioning. Last week, JAXA announced that SLIM had been powered off with only 12 percent remaining, with hopes of the craft waking up in the following week.
A spokesperson from JAXA informed AFP on Monday that SLIM’s operations resumed, presumably due to the solar battery regaining power from sunlight exposure. The focus now is on prioritizing scientific observations and information gathering rather than adjusting SLIM’s position, as attempting to do so could potentially worsen the situation. The spokesman mentioned that the daytime on the moon, where SLIM is located, will persist until the end of January, transitioning to nighttime around February.
JAXA’s Strategic Success with “Moon Sniper” SLIM
In an effort to restore its reputation following a series of recent setbacks, JAXA announced last week that the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) had landed just 55 meters (yards) away from its intended target. This achievement earned the “Moon Sniper” its nickname, demonstrating remarkable precision within the 100-meter landing zone, a significant improvement compared to the usual range of several kilometers (miles).
Before shutting down the craft, mission control successfully retrieved technical and image data from SLIM’s descent and the lunar crater where it landed. Assuming it has sufficient power, SLIM is now poised to fulfill its primary mission of investigating an exposed area of the moon’s mantle, which is typically located deep beneath its crust.
JAXA’s Triumph with Detachable Probes
JAXA reported the successful detachment of two probes—one equipped with a transmitter and another designed to traverse the lunar surface, transmitting images back to Earth. The shape-shifting mini-rover, slightly larger than a tennis ball, was co-developed by the company responsible for Transformer toys.
Several countries, including Russia, China, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates, are also vying to explore the moon. US firm Astrobotic faced mission failure as its Peregrine lunar lander leaked fuel after takeoff this month, likely burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere upon return. Additionally, NASA has postponed crewed lunar missions as part of its Artemis program.
Notably, two previous Japanese lunar missions—one government-led and one private—ended in failure. In 2022, the country unsuccessfully launched a lunar probe named Omotenashi as part of the United States’ Artemis 1 mission. In April, a Japanese startup, ispace, attempted to become the first private company to land on the moon but lost communication with its craft after what was described as a “hard landing.”
Read the original article on: Phys Org
Read more: NASA Delays Human Moon Landings To 2026 and Lunar Orbit Plans To 2025
