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Japanese «Moon Sniper» suddenly came to life after a bumpy landing

The module began to photograph the surface of the Moon

Japanese lunar landing module Slim overcomes the energy crisis to begin scientific operations. The lunar probe began photographing the lunar surface after a bumpy landing that sent its solar panels pointing towards.

The module began photographing the surface of the Moon

The Japanese lunar module has resumed operation, the Japan space agency said on Monday, indicating that the power supply to the device was recovered after it was left upside down during a slightly accidental landing.

The probe, nicknamed the «Moon Sniper», fell from the side of the crater during its landing on January 20, causing its solar panels to be oriented in the wrong direction and unable to generate electricity, The Guardian recalls.

Japanese Space agency Jaxa prioritized transmitting landing data before the battery on the Smart Lunar Lander (Slim) ran out, but said there was a chance the probe could recharge once the west side of the Moon begins receiving sunlight in the coming days .

“We were able to establish contact with Slim last night and have resumed operations,” Jaxa said Monday. – We immediately began scientific observations using a multi-band camera and successfully received the first light for 10-band observation,” the message said (referring to the spectroscopic camera of the lander).

The space agency published on the platform X made by “Slim” shot of a «toy poodle» rock seen near the lander.

The lunar landing made Japan only the fifth country to make a soft landing on the Moon, after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India, notes The Guardian.

The lander reached its goal — landing within 100 meters of the target, touching down ground at a distance of 55 meters. This is much more accurate than the usual landing zone range, which experts estimate to be several kilometers.

“Slim” was aiming for a crater where the moon's mantle, typically the deep inner layer beneath its crust, is believed to be on the surface.

But about three hours after landing, Jaxa decided to turn off Slim, leaving 12% of power to allow resuming work when the sun's angle changes.

According to Jaxa, the two probes successfully separated – one with a transmitter, and the other designed to move across the lunar surface, transmitting images to Earth. Slightly larger than a tennis ball, this shape-shifting mini rover was jointly developed with a company that made transformable toys.

Japan's two previous lunar missions – one public and one private – failed, The Guardian emphasizes. In 2022, the country unsuccessfully sent a lunar probe called Omotenashi. as part of the United States' Artemis 1 mission.

In April, Japanese startup ispace tried in vain to become the first private company to land on the moon, losing contact with its craft after what it described as a “ landing”.

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