Shortly after the historic landing on the moon, Japan’s SLIM spacecraft was shut down due to power problems. Because without functioning solar cells, the spacecraft will only have energy for ‘a few hours’, according to the reasoning.
The probe’s battery was disconnected with 12 percent power remaining and the spacecraft was temporarily shut down over the weekend, Japan’s JAXA space agency said Monday. According to them, the aim was to avoid a situation where “the restart (of the lander, note) could be hampered”.
According to JAXA, if sunlight falls on the moon from the west in the future, there is “a possibility to generate energy” via solar cells. The authority is currently preparing for the restoration, it said.
First, JAXA wants to analyze the data collected during the landing. This will determine whether the 2.40 meter long and 1.70 meter wide spacecraft has achieved its goal of landing within the intended radius of one hundred meters in the Shioli crater.
Solar cells do not generate electricity
On Saturday, Japan became the fifth country in the world to land on the moon. JAXA confirmed the landing of the SLIM spacecraft on Earth’s satellite at 12:20 p.m. So communication with the probe was established, but the solar cells did not produce electricity.
The name SLIM is an abbreviation for “Smart Lander for Investigating Moon”. After two failed missions, it was Japan’s third attempt to land on Earth’s satellite.
Fifth country to successfully land on the moon
So far, only the US, the Soviet Union, China and India have managed to land on the moon. The Japanese space agency JAXA had already achieved a precision landing on an asteroid, but the challenge is greater on the moon, where gravity is stronger.
Source: Krone
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