The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA’s) Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down on the Moon in an unexpected position, or more specifically, upside down. This makes Japan the fifth country in history to reach the lunar surface, but trouble with the probe’s solar batteries made it hard at first to figure out if the spacecraft made it in the target zone.
This happened because the lander’s main engines lost thrust approximately 50 meters (54 yards) above the Moon’s surface, resulting in a harder landing than expected. The image you see was captured by autonomous probes released by SLIM before touchdown. Unfortunately, the spacecraft’s solar panels are now facing west rather than upwards, forcing it to operate on limited battery power.
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Something we designed traveled all the way to the moon and took that snapshot. I almost fell down when I saw it. We demonstrated that we can land where we want. We opened a door to a new era,” said Shinichiro Sakai, JAXA Project Manager.
