TOKYO – In a historic achievement, Japan joined the ranks of nations that have successfully achieved a soft lunar landing.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced on Saturday that its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), dubbed the “Moon Sniper” for its precision technology, touched down on the lunar surface.
However, the mission faces a setback as the spacecraft encounters power issues related to its solar battery.
After a tense 20-minute descent, JAXA confirmed the successful landing of SLIM and established communication.
Despite the achievement, a solar battery problem is threatening the mission’s success, with the Moon Sniper spacecraft having only “several hours” of power remaining, according to JAXA official Hitoshi Kuninaka.
The solar battery issue raises concerns about the continuation of the mission, but Kuninaka suggested that there might be a possibility of the batteries working again when the angle of the sun changes.
He mentioned at a news conference, “It’s possible that it is not facing in the originally planned direction. If the descent was not successful, it would have crashed at a very high speed. If that were the case, all functionality of the probe would be lost, but data is being sent to Earth.”
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida welcomed the landing news but acknowledged the need for a “detailed analysis” of the solar cells.
NASA chief Bill Nelson congratulated Japan on becoming the “historic fifth country to land successfully on the Moon” and expressed the value of continued collaboration.
SLIM’s mission objective includes analyzing data acquired during the landing to determine whether the spacecraft successfully landed within 100 meters of its intended spot.
The Moon Sniper aimed for a crater where the Moon’s mantle is believed to be exposed on the surface.
While the landing’s accuracy needs verification, Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics astronomer Jonathan McDowell considers the mission a “big success.”
However, the solar panel issue may impact an experiment to study the composition of Moon rocks.
Renewed interest in lunar exploration is evident globally, with Russia, China, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and others actively pursuing missions to the Moon.
Despite challenges and setbacks, the mission’s success marks a significant step in Japan’s space exploration efforts.
