Japan appears to have succeeded in its planned soft landing on the moon. But: the solar panel does not produce electricity, it was said at a press conference with experts from the Japanese space agency Jaxa. The “SLIM” (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) lander is still communicating with the ground station and receiving data. The battery capacity is expected to last a few hours, so as much data as possible should be obtained.
If the soft landing status remains, Japan will be the fifth country to achieve a soft landing on Earth’s satellite, after the former Soviet Union, the US, China and India.
Further findings can only be expected in new evaluations, it was said in the evening. As things stand now, the solar panel is not damaged. It initially remained unclear whether there was an unfavorable coordination or other problems. Also whether there is a solution and whether the panel will soon be able to supply power. It was also not yet possible to say whether the unmanned landing within a 100-meter zone took place as planned.
Last April, a private Japanese company failed in a similar mission. The reason given by the Ispace company was an incorrect altitude calculation of the lander.
About ten days ago, the American company Astrobotic failed to successfully ship the “Peregrine” lander. The American mission started successfully, but then there were problems with the propulsion system. The engineers managed to temporarily stabilize the capsule, but the goal of a moon landing had to be abandoned. A valve probably malfunctioned, Astrobotic boss John Thornton said at a news conference on Friday. It would have been the first private landing on the moon.
After consultation with the American space agency NASA, Astrobotic decided on Thursday to have the capsule crash in a controlled manner – partly to avoid the risk of space debris flying around uncontrollably, Thornton said. As expected, contact with the capsule was lost around 10:00 PM CET on Thursday. This indicates that the capsule crashed in a controlled manner over the South Pacific as planned and burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere. There is now independent confirmation of this.
Astrobotic wants to start the next experiment at the end of this year: the ‘Griffin’ lander will be sent to the moon, including with a NASA rover on board. The launch is currently scheduled for November, but the problems with ‘Peregrine’ still need to be thoroughly investigated beforehand.
The Japanese lander “SLIM” left the Japanese spaceport Tanegashima for the moon last September on board an H2A launch vehicle. Japan’s Jaxa space agency had hoped that a successful precision landing of the 2.4-meter-high probe would herald the transition from an era of “land where we can” to an era of “land where we want.”
The ability to land accurately and the information from ‘SLIM’ on the surface properties of the moon will be used in future lunar missions, for example as part of the US-led ‘Artemis’ programme. NASA wants to return humans to the moon after more than 50 years – although the moon landing mission “Artemis 3” was postponed last week until September 2026.
Experts attribute the problems with modern-day moon landings partly to the fact that a lot of knowledge has been lost since the missions in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The researchers and engineers involved at the time are now very old or dead and can no longer contribute their knowledge, Ulrich Walter, professor of space technology at the Technical University of Munich and former astronaut, recently explained. “Nowadays we are practically starting from scratch.”
Lunar modules are now equipped with much more software than before. This has advantages: for example, flight maneuvers can be adjusted spontaneously. On the other hand, software is also prone to errors. “I estimate that about half of the failed moon landings in recent years were due to faulty software,” says Walter.
China and India in particular have benefited from the fact that they have been continuously developing their spaceflight for decades, Walter says. According to the plans of the Chinese government, compatriots should be on the moon by 2030 – if there are further delays in the “Artemis” program, it is not inconceivable that they will walk there before the first new American moonwalkers.
According to Japanese business newspaper Nikkei Asia, the missions related to “SLIM” include a joint project with India to explore water resources in the polar regions by 2025. In addition, car giant Toyota Motor and the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) group are developing a rover for use by astronauts on the moon. Both companies are expected to start developing a model this year, which should be on the market in 2029.
Unlike the US, India or China, Japan today does not have the financial resources to carry out major space missions on its own, according to “Nikkei Asia”. Japan’s strategy is therefore to develop technologies and become an indispensable partner. (cst/sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
