2024-01-20 07:01:00
The Japanese robot Slim has successfully landed on the Moon, but problems with its solar power system threaten the mission to last only a few hours.
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Slim) landed gently on the lunar surface near an equatorial crater.
The feat makes Japan the fifth country to land on Earth’s natural satellite, after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India.
For reasons still unknown, the solar cells of the machine will not produce electricity.
This leaves Slim totally dependent on his batteries and they will eventually die. The craft will then become silent, will not receive commands and will not be able to communicate with Earth.
Engineers have turned off the heaters and are taking photos of the craft. They also retrieve data that will tell them how well the landing software worked.
As light angles change on the Moon, it’s possible Slim will come back to life, officials said.
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