Japan has become the fifth country to reach the Moon, but its ship faces a major failure

Japan It became midnight this Friday the fifth country to reach the Moonafter the successful landing of the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) probe on the surface of the natural satellite.

However, the mission is seriously at risk due to the solar panels they stopped generating energy and runs on spare batteries, which will last only a few hours, according to officials at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

“SLIM communicated correctly and responds normally. However, it appears that its solar cells do not generate electricity,” JAXA CEO Hitoshi Kuninaka explained in a press conference about two hours after the moon landing.

Kuninaka commented that it is possible that if the panels could absorb solar energy again, they could be recharged, so they would continue to monitor the information it transmits. If this happens, you will be able to join new missions to explore the Moon in search of water and other resources and enhance the exploration of other planets and satellites in the Solar System.

The SLIM touches down on the lunar surface at 00:20 Japanese local time on Saturday, January 20, after a 20-minute descent. Until today, only four countries had achieved it: United States, former Soviet Union, China and India.

The module attempted to touch the lunar surface within a radius of about 100 meters from the Shioli crater, near the lunar equator, with precision unprecedented until now.

Kuninaka explained that the LEV-1 and LEV-2 vehicles attached to the module were properly separated from the array during descent and that captured images of the lunar surface are transmitted, which, coupled with the successful Moon landing of SLIM itself Despite energy problems, he considered a “minimal success”. “Japan has set an important milestone, so I think this was a big step forward,” he added.

The main objective of SLIM was to test the realization of a “punctual” landing, i.e. precision/localized, in a radius of 100 meters around the Shioli crater, near the lunar equator, a precision unprecedented until now.

The Japan Aerospace Agency estimates that it will take a month to confirm whether this goal has been achieved. “We will continue to send more spacecraft,” Kuninaka added.

“The moon landing was a success,Yes, I believe we need to continue working on the development of this technology,” said JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa.

The outcome of the mission has a bittersweet taste for Japan, which before today had already made several failed moon landing attempts, and seeks to expand its presence and competitiveness in the global aerospace landscape.