Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) has encountered a major setback during its mission to explore the lunar surface. In an unfortunate turn of events, the lander appears to have landed upside down, rendering it unable to generate power and leaving it stranded on the Moon. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has confirmed that an abnormality in the main engine caused the spacecraft to lose control during landing.
The distressing image of the upside-down lander was captured by SORA-Q, a smaller robot that was successfully ejected from SLIM just before touchdown. This image also explains why SLIM faced difficulties in generating power, as its solar panels were blocked. Ultimately, scientists had to shut down the lander a mere three hours after landing due to its inability to function without power. Unfortunately, SLIM lacks the capability to right itself, leaving it in a powerless state on the lunar surface.
Despite this unfortunate outcome, SLIM did manage to achieve a significant milestone for Japan. Its landing technically made Japan the fifth country in the world to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon. However, problems arose soon after landing, dampening the initial excitement. JAXA remains hopeful that if sunlight hits the Moon from the west in the future, there may be a possibility of power generation, and they are currently making preparations for restoration.
To transmit the image captured by SORA-Q back to Earth, the robot had to send the data to another robot named LEV-1, which SLIM also deployed successfully during landing. LEV-1 has the capability to independently contact mission control. Despite the awkward landing, SLIM was able to capture glimpses of its desolate and rocky surroundings on the lunar surface.
JAXA considers this mission a significant achievement, despite the setback. The agency highlights the successful inter-robot communication between LEV-1 and SORA-Q, as well as the fully autonomous operations of the robots. These accomplishments are groundbreaking and will serve as valuable technology demonstrations for future lunar explorations. The knowledge and experience gained from this mission will be applied to upcoming missions, further advancing Japan’s space exploration endeavors.
While the current situation may be disheartening, JAXA’s determination to overcome obstacles and learn from this experience is commendable. The mission of SLIM may not have gone as planned, but it has undoubtedly contributed to the advancement of space exploration technology. As Japan continues its efforts to bring the lander back to life, the world eagerly awaits further updates on this ambitious lunar mission.
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