Japan Successfully Reaches the Moon, Yet Faces Mission-Endangering Technical Issue

Japan's space agency, Jaxa, has successfully landed a robot on the Moon as part of its mission called the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Slim). This makes Japan the fifth country to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface. However, there are concerns about the robot's solar power system, which may jeopardize the mission. The craft's solar cells are not functioning properly, leading to all surface operations relying on Slim's batteries. This means the robot may only have a few hours of life left. Jaxa is working to gather data and determine the cause of the problem. While there is hope that the solar cells may regain power in the future, the agency is prepared for the possibility that Slim will eventually run out of battery. Despite these challenges, Slim managed to deploy two small rovers just before touchdown, which will aid in studying the moon's geology. Jaxa has previously landed robots on asteroids and this moon landing further solidifies its expertise in space exploration.