Technology

Japan Lunar Lander May Begin Recharging in Few Days

Courtesy of JAXA
An image of SLIM landing on the moon

Jiji Press

13:28 JST, January 23, 2024

TOKYO, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)—A small unmanned Japanese probe that failed to recharge after landing on the moon may be able to begin recharging in a few days, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said Monday.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, touched down on the moon Saturday with its solar panels facing west, making it unable to access sunlight, according to JAXA. Recharging may begin when the angle of the sun changes.

According to the agency, SLIM’s solar panels were generating power while the probe was in flight.

JAXA used the probe’s internal battery to extract data on the vehicle as well as photographs it took, and then shut down the probe roughly two and a half hours after landing to prevent it from completely running out of power and being unable to reactivate.