JAXA Switched Off its Moon Lander Almost Three Hours After Historic Touchdown to Allow a Possible Recovery of Craft, Says Japan
However, JAXA reported that it was impossible to verify that the craft's solar batteries were producing electricity following the impact at twenty minutes past midnight.
In order to enable a potential recovery of the craft, Japan turned off its Moon lander on Saturday, about three hours after a historic touchdown, the space agency said on Monday, January 22, 2024. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a statement, “If sunlight hits the Moon from the west in the future, we believe there's a possibility of power generation, and we're currently preparing for restoration.” Japan became only the fifth nation in history to accomplish a soft lunar landing during the mission of the spacecraft known as the "Moon Sniper" because to its ability to make precise landings. However, JAXA reported that it was impossible to verify that the craft's solar batteries were producing electricity following the impact at twenty minutes past midnight. JAXA’s SLIM Moon Lander Enters Lunar Orbit on Christmas Day, Sets Stage for Japan’s First-Ever Moon Landing on January 20.
JAXA Switched Off its Moon Lander Almost Three Hours After Touchdown
JUST IN: There is a "possibility" that Japan's lander that made a historic lunar touchdown on Saturday but suffered a solar battery problem can be restored, Japan's space agency said.
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) January 22, 2024
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 22, 2024 12:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
