Japan today confirmed that its SLIM lander survived its descent to the surface, becoming the fifth country to successfully land on the moon. However, that mission is likely to be short-lived. Japan's space agency, JAXA, announced that the spacecraft had a problem with its solar cells and was unable to generate electricity. In its current state, the battery may only have enough power to continue operating for several more hours.
Based on how other equipment is working, JAXA said in a press conference this afternoon that it is clear SLIM made a soft landing. The spacecraft is able to communicate with Earth and receive commands, but is operating on a low battery. It is unclear what problem there is with the solar cell other than the fact that it is not working.
Your panels may not currently be facing the correct direction to receive sunlight. This means that charging can begin when the sun's position changes. But JAXA says it needs more time to understand what happened. The two small spacecraft LEV-1 and LEV-2, which accompanied SLIM to the moon, successfully separated from the lander as planned before landing and appear to be operating normally so far.
JAXA said it is now focused on maximizing the operational time left on SLIM to obtain as much data as possible from the landing. SLIM (Smart Lander for the Study of the Moon), also known as the „Moon Sniper“ due to its precision landing technology, will land within 100 meters of its target, the Siori Crater. The agency plans to hold another press conference next week to share further updates.
Even though time was running out, the SLIM landing was still a huge feat. She is the only other country to successfully land on the moon: the United States, China, India, and Russia. The most recent US effort, the civilian-led Peregrine Mission One, failed when the spacecraft began leaking propellant shortly after liftoff on January 8th. They managed to hold out for a few more days and got as far as the moon, but there was no chance of a soft landing. The company that developed the lander confirmed last night that Peregrine made a controlled re-entry and burned up in Earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific Ocean.