The solar panel of the Japanese lunar module SLIM stopped generating electricity after landing on the Moon.
The Japanese probe SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) lost its recovery hours after successfully landing on the Moon on January 19. The spacecraft did not generate electricity from the Sun. Kyodo wrote this on Monday, December 22.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the lander’s built-in solar power generation system, dubbed the Lunar Sniper, malfunctioned because its panels were not properly focused on the Sun and the battery died 2 hours later. 40 minutes after landing on the Sun Moon.
Due to the possibility that the system will restart once the Sun hits the far side of the Moon, JAXA is preparing to reboot SLIM.
As a reminder, SLIM was launched in September 2023 along with the X-ray space telescope XRISM.
On December 25, the lander entered the orbit of the Moon before landing on Earth’s satellite. On December 28, SLIM transmitted the first images of the Moon to Earth. On January 19, SLIM landed on the Moon.
Source: korrespondent
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