Japan’s Moon lander, named Slim, arrived on the lunar surface in a somewhat unexpected position, landing on its nose rather than upright. This unconventional landing has led to difficulties in generating the necessary electricity for operation. The issue was attributed to an abnormality in the main engine, as one of the two big thrusters stopped working during descent. The spacecraft’s solar cells were unable to function, leading to a rapid drainage of the battery and the decision to put Slim into hibernation.
An image captured by a small robot called Sora-Q, which was ejected from Slim before touchdown, confirmed that the main spacecraft was not oriented in a way that allowed the solar cells to see the Sun. Despite this setback, before going into hibernation, Slim’s onboard infrared camera was able to capture images of the lunar surface, showing the spacecraft on a slope surrounded by small rocks. The location of the landing is on the edge of an equatorial crater known as Shioli.
The successful soft touchdown on the Moon made the Japanese space agency, Jaxa, the fifth national space agency to achieve this feat after the US, the former Soviet Union, China, and India. Slim’s precision navigation technologies enabled it to reach its targeted location, coming within 55m east of the original landing site. Both the Sora-Q and Lev-1, the roving robots ejected from Slim, were able to perform their intended tasks before also being powered down. Jaxa sees this as a breakthrough achievement and a valuable technology demonstration for future lunar explorations.
Overall, the mission faced challenges, but the accomplishments provide valuable knowledge and experience for upcoming missions.
