Its descent to the lunar surface on January 19 was a real success, and Japan has indeed become the 5th power to successfully land a vehicle on the surface. Despite everything, the celebration was short-lived. Due to a concern for orientation, the SLIM lander drained its batteries. All is not lost…
The small Japanese lander SLIM (also called the “Moon Sniper”) began its braking and descent towards the lunar surface as planned last Friday, January 19. 20 minutes broadcast live and mainly showing the telemetry transmitted by the vehicle which did its best to slow down and land correctly on the inclined walls near the Shioli crater, on the visible side of the Moon. And at the time of landing, the two Japanese commentators did not lose their calm (dare we say, their phlegm), despite statements which, at the time, seemed contradictory. Indeed, the displays showed a successful landing, while the Japanese agency almost immediately announced “ wait for new data » before scheduling a press conference. There was a problem, and it disrupted the party.
However, SLIM did indeed land on the Moon, and Japan became the 5th power (after the USSR, the United States, China and India) to successfully land there!
But then, what’s the problem?
In reality, from the moment of landing, the Japanese teams had confirmation of two things: their SLIM vehicle had survived its descent to the Moon and could still communicate, and its solar panels were no longer charging the battery whose levels had already started to decline. It was therefore a race against time to understand the problem, but also to download as much data as possible from the descent. Because let’s remember, the main goal of the “Moon Sniper” was to land less than 100 meters from a precise point on the Moon, which it very rightly succeeded in doing! On January 22, the Japanese authorities provided some details. First, the battery charging problem is linked to the orientation of the panels: SLIM is most likely lying on its side. And the sun isn’t shining west on the Moon right now, so the batteries are dead.
2 hours 37 minutes after touching down, Japan chose to turn off SLIM with 13% battery left, after collecting as much data as possible, including from small robots that ejected correctly just after touching down. It seems that they behaved well.
Agency looking for good surprise
Even though JAXA has not published any images so far (there are more important ones for them, such as data related to the engine during descent), the agency claims on X.com (formerly Twitter) that several sequences have been recovered. And there’s even better: there is always hope! If the teams put SLIM into hibernation before its battery reached 0%, it is no coincidence. Because the Sun will continue its course in the sky above the lunar surface. And eventually reach those damn solar panels. So JAXA took a gamble, saving a little battery (and data transfers) in the hope of being able to properly reactivate SLIM by the end of the week. In any case, the Japanese agency will hold a conference with its results to talk about it. What if the “Moon Sniper” gave us a little surprise?
Source : NASA Space Flight
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