Japan’s SLIM spacecraft sticks moon touchdown – upside-down

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Firm shared the primary picture of its lander on the lunar floor, revealing that the spacecraft touched down on the moon upside-down.

It’s a exceptional restoration for the spacecraft, which skilled an “abnormality in the main engine” that affected the touchdown orientation when it was simply 50 meters above the lunar floor, JAXA said in an update Thursday. Regardless of this abnormality — which resulted within the spacecraft’s photo voltaic panels being unable to cost, as a result of they don’t seem to be oriented correctly with the solar — the nation nonetheless turned the fifth nation ever to tug off a gentle touchdown on the moon.

Even after the primary engine was misplaced, SLIM’s onboard software program continued to autonomously information the spacecraft’s descent. The lander touched down at a velocity of round 1.4 meters per second or much less, under the design vary; however the lateral velocity and orientation have been additionally outdoors the design vary, ensuing within the nose-down place.

Remarkably, the lander ended up simply 55 meters east of the unique goal touchdown web site. JAXA officers stated that the primary objective of the SLIM mission, which was to show the pinpoint touchdown expertise to inside 100 meters accuracy, is due to this fact thought-about successful.

Earlier this week, JAXA officers stated the spacecraft had powered down on the surface, as deliberate, to keep away from over-discharge of the batteries linked to the photo voltaic cells. The photo voltaic cells are going through west, so the company is ready to see if they will generate energy to the spacecraft as soon as the solar’s beams change course.

The lander was carrying two rovers; one of many rovers, referred to as Lunar Exploration Automobile-2, or SORA-Q, is accountable for the picture. The rovers have been ejected from the spacecraft earlier than touchdown.

Officers additional stated that they’re investigating the reason for the lack of one of many two most important engines, and that they are going to present updates because the investigation progresses. The following time the solar will face westward towards the lander’s photo voltaic cells can be in about one week’s time, so we’ll quickly know whether or not a mission restoration is feasible.