JAXA said it had received all data on SLIM’s historic landing, which had to be powered down earlier this week.
Japan has successfully made an unusually precise landing on the moon, just a few meters from its target, the space agency announced.
The country became the fifth country to launch a spacecraft to the moon’s surface when its so-called “Moon Sniper” lander landed on the moon’s surface on Saturday.
On Thursday, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency [JAXA] announced that it received all data regarding the landing of the Lunar Improving Lander (SLIM) within 2 hours and 37 minutes after touchdown.
“More detailed analysis of the data is required, but the accuracy of the ‘pinpoint’ landing was probably 3 to 4 meters. [10 to 13 feet]” Shinichiro Sakai, the lander’s project manager, said at a press conference.
The mission aimed to land within 100 meters (328 feet) of the target, exceeding traditional accuracy of a few kilometers. The target was a crater where the moon’s deep inner layer, the mantle, is thought to be exposed on the surface.
JAXA also released the first color image from the mission, depicting the craft sitting at a slight angle on the moon’s rocky gray surface, with an uphill slope visible in the distance.
One of the lander’s two main engines likely stopped during the final stages of touchdown, leaving it in an oblique position, Sakai said.
Although successful, the mission was not without its problems.
JAXA stated that the reason SLIM’s solar panels were no longer able to generate electricity was likely due to the wrong angle, and expressed hope that by changing the direction of the sunlight, it might be able to generate electricity again. .
The agency had shut down the spacecraft three hours after landing to allow for its recovery. Before switching off SLIM, it was possible to download technical and image data from the spacecraft’s descent and the lunar surface.
Through “visual-based navigation,” JAXA hopes to learn more about the moon’s potential water resources, which could one day help it build a base there as a way station en route to Mars.
Japan followed the United States, Russia, China and India to reach the moon.
The expedition is part of several new lunar exploration missions launched by governments and private companies 50 years after the first humans landed on the moon.
Japan is expanding its space activities and also forging a partnership with the United States to counter China’s growing military and technological influence.
The country is an active participant in NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to send astronauts to the moon.
But JAXA has faced multiple setbacks, including a failed launch in March of its new flagship rocket, the H3, which is competitive with other companies such as SpaceX.
