JAPAN'S SLIM PROBE LANDS ON MOON BUT CAN'T GENERATE SOLAR POWER
On Saturday, Japan became the fifth country to put a spacecraft on the moon, but the probe was not able to generate solar power. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon landed on the surface of the moon on Friday at around 12:20 am. Once the probe landed, they re-established communication with earth, but its solar panels couldn't generate electricity, possibly because they were angled wrong.
SLIM is now operating only on its battery, and we are prioritizing the transfer of its data onto earth. Despite "life-sustaining treatments", SLIM's battery lasts only for "a few hours", so instead of taking risky actions, JAXA will maintain the status quo. JAXA hopes a shift in the sunlight's angle will hit the panels in a way that can restore its functions. SLIM attempted to land on the moon within 100 meters(328 ft). SLIM says it will become a powerful tool in future exploration of hilly moon poles seen as a potential source of oxygen, fuel and water.
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