Lunar lander JAXA successfully landed, solar panels do not generate power

The Japanese space agency JAXA has succeeded in landing the SLIM lunar lander on the moon’s surface. The solar panels of the lunar lander do not generate electricity for the time being, so the power had to come from the built-in battery.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, landed on the lunar surface on January 20 at 12:20 a.m. local Japan time. Shortly after the spacecraft was able to land, a communication line was successfully established. According to the Japanese Space Agency However, the solar panels on board the lunar lander do not yet generate electricity. As a result, JAXA’s priority was first on data collection from the lunar lander and some functions were disabled. The latter was done to save energy.

According to some representatives of the space organization, there is a chance that the solar panels are positioned incorrectly and therefore receive too little sunlight. The Japanese space agency hopes that over time more sunlight will fall on the solar panels, so that the lunar lander can be fully operational again. “It takes about 30 days for the sun’s position on the moon to change,” said Hitoshi Kuninaka, head of JAXA’s research center during a press conference.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon was launched on the night of September 6 to 7 and placed in orbit around the Earth. It is a relatively small lunar lander of approximately 1.5×1.5x2m that is equipped with camera systems and radar technology, among other things. JAXA wants this lunar lander demonstrate that very precise landings on the moon’s surface are also possible.

Smart Lander for Investigating Moon – Source: JAXA