Japan conducts a historic lunar landing, but the mission is deemed a “minimum success” since the lander is fast losing power

With its robotic explorer “Moon Sniper,” Japan made history by being the fifth country to successfully complete a soft landing on the moon. However, there is concern that the mission may end too soon because the spacecraft’s solar cell is not producing electricity, CNN reported, citing the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

According to the NASA, the lander is now sending out a signal and is communicating as planned. Telemetry data published on JAXA’s live broadcast indicates that the unmanned Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, mission touched down shortly after 10:20 am ET (12:20 am local time) on Friday.

The JAXA team is examining the data to ascertain the root of the solar cell problem and the lander’s next course of action while the lander is running on a restricted battery that should only last a few hours.

According to JAXA authorities, the spacecraft may not be oriented in the proper direction, which might be the source of the solar cell problem. The researchers told reporters that there is still hope that the solar cell would be able to charge again when the moon’s solar angle shifts, but it may take some time and rely on whether SLIM can withstand the chilly lunar night.

The spacecraft used optical navigation to make a gentle and accurate landing on the moon, leading the agency to conclude that the mission had satisfied the requirements to be classified as a “minimum success.”

Japan is now the third nation this century and the fifth overall to land on the moon thanks to this landing. Dr. Hitoshi Kuninaka, the director general of JAXA, graded the landing operation for SLIM a “60 out of 100,” adding that he is renowned for his “harsh comments.”

In addition, the crew is trying to compile all of the scientific information that the lander collected. LEV-1 and LEV-2, the two lunar rovers, were successfully released by the lander.

According to CNN, the LEV-1 rover is outfitted with antennae for communication with Earth, scientific instruments, and wide-angle visible light cameras. It travels by a hopping mechanism. Equipped with cameras as well, the LEV-2 may transform into a different shape to traverse the lunar surface.

The crew will wait to officially certify the condition of LEV-2 until they have more information, but in the meanwhile, they are getting a signal from LEV-1 and will check to see whether its cameras were able to take any pictures.

Launched in September, the small-scale SLIM robotic explorer is known as “Moon Sniper” since it contained new precise technology that allowed for a “pinpoint” landing. In contrast to other lunar missions, which could target and reach particular zones spanning several kilometers, the SLIM lander was designed to arrive in a spot that is just 100 meters (328 feet) broad.

CNN stated that the lander’s “smart eyes,” an image-matching navigation system, took quick pictures of the lunar surface as it approached and adjusted on its own as it descended to land on a sloping surface. It could take the JAXA crew up to a month to ascertain the precision of SLIM’s landing.