Japan’s spacecraft, known as the “Moon Sniper,” has successfully achieved a pin-point landing on the Moon, the country’s space agency reported on Thursday. The unmanned Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down just 55 meters away from its intended target, a remarkable feat considering the usual landing zone spans several kilometers. The precision landing makes Japan the fifth nation, after the United States, Soviet Union, China, and India, to accomplish such a mission.
Despite the celebration surrounding this achievement, the spacecraft faced a setback due to a problem with its solar batteries, which failed to generate power. With only 12 percent power remaining, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) decided to power off the craft, anticipating a possible recovery when the sun’s angle changes. JAXA expressed optimism that future sunlight hitting the Moon from the west could potentially generate power, and they are currently preparing for restoration.
Before shutting down SLIM, mission control successfully downloaded technical and image data from the craft’s descent and the lunar surface. JAXA has now released the first color images from the mission, revealing the SLIM craft intact on the rocky grey surface, with lunar slopes visible in the distance. The mission aimed to explore a crater where the Moon’s mantle, the deep inner layer beneath its crust, is believed to be exposed on the surface. By analyzing the rocks in this area, JAXA hopes to gain insights into the Moon’s potential water resources, which are crucial for future plans to establish bases and facilitate stopovers on the way to Mars.
During the mission, two probes detached successfully from SLIM. One of these probes carries a transmitter, while the other is designed to traverse the lunar surface, transmitting images back to Earth. The mini-rover, slightly larger than a tennis ball, responsible for capturing the image released by JAXA on Thursday, was co-developed by the company behind the Transformer toys.
SLIM’s successful landing marks one of several recent lunar missions undertaken by governments and private firms, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first human Moon landing. However, technical challenges remain prevalent, as evidenced by the United States experiencing two setbacks in its ambitious Moon programs this month. Japan has also faced failures in previous lunar missions, both public and private. In 2022, a Japanese lunar probe named Omotenashi, launched as part of the United States’ Artemis 1 mission, was unsuccessful. Additionally, in April, a Japanese startup called ispace lost communication with its craft after a “hard landing” attempt, thwarting its aspiration to become the first private company to land on the Moon.
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