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Shortly after the Japanese space agency became the fifth country to land a spacecraft on the lunar surface, its scientists discovered that the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) had unfortunately landed upside down.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said SLIM landed on the lunar surface on January 20, but learned that the spacecraft may face major problems due to power generation problems.
Just hours after landing, JAXA predicted a power outage before it actually happened.
According to JAXA, SLIM hit the lunar surface about 55 meters east of the original target landing site.
Also read: Japan becomes the fifth country to land on the moon
The agency obtained all technical information regarding its navigation before landing and final stop on the lunar surface.
JAXA has taken a SLIM photo of The Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2, a fully autonomous robot exploring the moon.
The reason for the main engine malfunction is being investigated by the space agency.
The chance of regeneration is very low because the solar panels that power the spacecraft face west. This means that there is a chance of SLIM recovery if enough sunlight reaches the cells over time.
The SLIM JAXA team on X wrote earlier this week: “We are preparing for recovery.”
The agency said it would “make the necessary preparations to collect further technical and scientific data from the spacecraft.”
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