A journalist wearing a VR device tries a simulation of Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM)’s moon landing, at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)’s facility, in Sagamihara, south of Tokyo, Japan, January 19, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
TOKYO — Japan on Saturday became the fifth country to put a spacecraft on the moon but the probe was not generating solar power, its space agency said, during a mission to prove a “precision” landing technology and revitalise a space programme that has suffered setbacks.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) landed the moon’s surface at around 12:20 a.m. (1520 GMT Friday) and re-established communication with earth, but its solar panels were not able to generate electricity, possibly because they are angled wrong.
“SLIM is now operating only on its battery, and we are prioritising the transfer of its data onto…
