Japan has become the fifth country in the world to land on the moon. After the SLIM spacecraft gently landed the Earth’s satellite, problems arose with the energy supply: the solar cells did not produce electricity. Nevertheless, the mission is considered a success.
In addition, SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) has batteries on board, but without functioning solar cells the spacecraft will only have power for “a few hours,” Hitoshi Kuninaka of the Japanese space agency Jaxa said on Saturday. Kuninaka hinted that the batteries might work again once the angle of the sun changes. “It is unlikely that the solar panels failed; they may not be in the originally planned orientation,” Kuninaka said at a news conference.
Data is sent to Earth
“If the descent had not been successful, she would have crashed at a very high speed. In this case, all functionality of the probe would have been lost,” he continued. After much guesswork, it became clear on Friday evening (local time) that SLIM had landed softly because communication could be established: “Data is being sent to Earth.”
Precision landing successful?
It remains unclear whether the ambitious goal of a precision landing within 100 meters of the intended landing site has been achieved. To determine this, Jaxa hopes to be able to evaluate the data obtained during the installation. The spacecraft was intended to land in the Shioli crater, which is less than 300 meters in diameter. There, the moon’s mantle, the still poorly understood layer beneath the crust, is accessible from the surface.
The Japanese space agency had already achieved a precision landing on an asteroid, but the challenge is greater on the moon, where gravity is stronger.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the solar cells, which require a “detailed analysis,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the landing “very good news.” The head of the American space agency NASA, Bill Nelson, congratulated Japan on its successful moon landing. “We value our partnership in the cosmos and our continued collaboration,” he wrote on X.
It was Japan’s third attempt at a moon landing after two failed missions. So far, only the US, the Soviet Union, China and India have managed to land on the moon.
Look for water on the moon
The 2.40 meter long and 1.70 meter wide spacecraft is now intended to explore the moon’s mantle in the area around the landing site. “The rocks exposed here are crucial for studying the origins of the moon and Earth,” said Tomokatsu Morota, a professor at the University of Tokyo who specializes in lunar research. It could also provide information about the moon’s water resources, which would be important for the moon’s possible use as a stopover on the way to Mars. “The possibility of commercial use of the moon depends on whether there is water at the poles,” Morota said.
Probe as “action figure”
To study the moon’s surface, SLIM has a spherical probe on board that is barely larger than a tennis ball and as heavy as a large potato. To get around on the moon, the metal ball, equipped with two cameras, can unfold like an action figure and roll through the moon dust on two wheels.
The Japanese space agency developed the SORA-Q probe together with toy manufacturer Takara Tomy, Sony and Doshisha University in Kyoto. A toy version of the ball is available on Earth for the equivalent of about 130 euros.
Source: Krone
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