Japan's space agency said this Thursday (25) that its robotic explorer Moon Sniper landed 55 meters from the target on the lunar surface last week, calling it a “significant achievement”, despite problems during landing that put the mission at risk .
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, mission reached the surface of the Moon on January 19 according to data shared by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).
During landing, the spacecraft experienced “some type of anomaly” at a distance of about 50 meters above the surface, JAXA officials said at a press conference.
As a result, the thrust of one of the main engines was lost forcing the spacecraft to land nose-first, with the “main engine facing upwards and in a nearly vertical position.”
This means that now the spacecraft's solar panels face west and not upward as intended forcing it to operate on limited battery power.
Since then, the lander battery has been disconnected to maintain the spacecraft's functionality, JAXA officials said.
If the Moon Sniper can survive the frigid temperatures of the lunar night, the space agency hopes light can reach solar cells as the angle of the Sun on the Moon changes, potentially restoring power generation and allowing operations to resume .
Despite these challenges, the agency welcomed the moment as “a significant achievement for future lunar and planetary exploration.”
The SLIM explorer used new precision technology to demonstrate a “spot” landing and successfully achieved its goals from landing within 100 meters of your target.
The agency said it was able to communicate with SLIM after landing and released the first images transmitted from the lunar surface.
The catheter used its multiband camera to capture 257 images low-resolution images of the lunar surface, which were combined to show the landscape around SLIM.
The mission team analyzed the mosaic and gave the rocks nicknames of interest that match your size estimates.
If the lander is turned on again, the team hopes to conduct further observations to learn more about SLIM's landing site, which is located on the slope of a crater in a lunar region called the Nectar Sea.
Aizu University Associate Professor Chikatoshi Honda participated in the development of the camera after the instrument team was established in 2016.
“Given that not all exploration programs necessarily result in data acquisition, we are excited to see that SLIM bore fruit and captured something tangible on camera ,” Honda said in a statement.
The landing made Japan the third country this century – and the fifth ever – to land on the Moon.
JAXA said it is investigating the reasons for the anomaly during landing and loss of main engine functionality.
Space agency officials added that they hope the technology developed at SLIM can be applied to future space missions.
Source: CNN Brasil
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