First color photos of Japanese spacecraft on the Moon

The SLIM lander successfully achieved its goal of landing accurately on the Moon and sending data back to Earth despite a problem with its solar panels not producing electricity and having to temporarily shut down a few hours after landing.

The yellow SLIM lander on the lunar surface. Photo: JAXA/Takara Tomy/Sony Group/Doshisha University/AFP — The yellow SLIM lander on the lunar surface. Photo: *JAXA/Takara Tomy/Sony Group/Doshisha University/AFP*

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced today that the Smart Lander for Lunar Investigation (SLIM) landed just 55 meters from the designated location, and released the first color photos from the mission.

SLIM is nicknamed Moon Sniper for its high accuracy. JAXA aims to land it within 100 meters of its designated location, much smaller than the usual range of several kilometers.

"SLIM succeeded in landing gently and accurately. The landing point was confirmed to be only 55 meters from the target," JAXA said. The lander experienced some engine problems during its descent, which may have caused it to veer off course, according to Shinichiro Sakai, SLIM project manager. The craft was on track to land even closer to the designated spot.

SLIM successfully landed on the Moon at 10:20 p.m. on January 19 (Hanoi time), making Japan the fifth country to land a spacecraft on Earth's natural satellite, after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India. However, the spacecraft encountered a problem after landing: The solar panels did not produce electricity.

JAXA decided to disconnect SLIM's batteries just before 1 a.m. on January 20, when it had about 12 percent power remaining, to avoid impeding future restarts. According to telemetry data, SLIM's solar panels were facing west. If sunlight hits the Moon from the west in the future, JAXA believes there is a chance for the batteries to generate power and the lander to resume operations. Before remotely shutting down the lander, mission control received visual and technical data from the landing and from the lunar surface.

"Based on current estimates, we are preparing for resumption of lander operations around February 1," JAXA said.

SLIM’s two small robots were also successfully deployed, one equipped with a transmitter and the other designed to move around the lunar surface and send images back to Earth. The mini-rotor, called SORA-Q, is only slightly larger than a tennis ball and can change shape.

Among the newly released JAXA images, one taken by SORA-Q gives a clear picture of SLIM’s condition. The yellow lander is still intact and lies slightly tilted on the rocky gray surface, with the lunar slopes in the distance.

The SLIM mission is targeting a crater where the mantle – the deeper layer of the Moon that normally lies beneath the crust – is thought to be exposed. By analyzing rocks there, JAXA hopes to unravel the mysteries of the Moon’s potential water resources, which are key to building bases on the celestial body.

Thu Thao (According to AFP )

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