image copyrightJAXA
19 January 2024, 16:31 GMT
Updated 56 minutes ago
Japan landed its spacecraft on the Moon, called the Lunar Sniper. The module made a soft landing on the lunar surface after 15:20 GMT (18:20 Moscow time).
After landing, JAXA reported that the module “appeared” to have landed, but then cut off the live video feed of the landing.
About two hours after landing, JAXA confirmed that the module had indeed landed on the Moon and was communicating with control center on Earth.
However, representatives of the Japanese agency said that the module does not run on solar panels, which means that it will have to rely only on its own batteries. So not everything in this mission went according to plan.
According to BBC science correspondent Jonathan Amos, if the solar panels cannot be restored, the spacecraft will “go silent” after its batteries run out of charge.
JAXA spokesman Hitoshi Kuninaka said the charge should last for several hours, during which the agency will try to download as much landing data as possible, including flight path information and photographs taken during the descent.
The device is equipped with cameras, radar and laser rangefinder. But its main feature is the software. The module was supposed to take pictures of the lunar surface as it descended and compare them with detailed maps of the craters.
At the same time, some module systems had to be turned off to save energy, says Kuninaka. He adds that JAXA employees are trying their best to bring solar generators back to life.
During the press conference, JAXA officials were asked whether the module landed upside down on the lunar surface, which could explain problems with the solar panels. In response, Japanese experts said that they did not know this and were now trying to obtain more data.
The successful landing means that Japan has become the world’s fifth lunar power. Previously, the USA, China, the USSR, and most recently, in 2023, India succeeded in landing their spacecraft on the Moon.
At the same time, India made history by carrying out the first ever lunar landing near the south pole of the Earth’s satellite.
Precise lunar landing
The Japanese space agency hoped to land the craft within 100 meters of its chosen site near the Shiori crater on the visible side of the moon.
If the device actually landed on the lunar surface where it was supposed to, this is already 70% of the success of the entire mission, notes Emma Gatti, a former NASA employee and editor-in-chief of SpaceWatch Global.
According to her, most spacecraft land several kilometers from their intended target, and the Japanese attempt to land on the Moon just 100 meters from the intended site is “unprecedented.”
The goal of the mission is to search for water and other substances that could make human life possible on the Moon.
Photo copyright: Reuters
Photo caption,
People in Tokyo watch the spacecraft land on the moon
In January, an attempt by a private American company, Astrobotic, to reach the surface of the Moon ended in failure.
In the past, many attempts to land a spacecraft on the Earth’s natural satellite have ended in failure, notes BBC science correspondent Jonathan Amos.
What is “Moon Sniper”
“Lunar Sniper” is the short name for an automated interplanetary station called Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, SLIM.
Photo copyright: Reuters
Photo caption,
The Japanese H-IIA rocket with the “Moon Sniper” launched in September last year
The SLIM project has been developed for more than two decades, and the station was launched from Earth on September 6, 2023.
This is the Japanese space agency’s second attempt to land on the moon after losing contact with the Omotenashi lander in 2022.
The agency has successfully landed its vehicles on small asteroids twice, but landing on the Moon is more difficult due to its gravity.
The news is being updated.
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2024-01-19 18:31:50
