TOKYO: Japan’s moon rover, the “Smart Lander for Investigating Moon” (SLIM), is confronting a critical power issue, jeopardizing the success of Japan’s recent lunar landing mission, according to reports by The US Sun.
Despite achieving a “precision landing” within 100 meters of its target, SLIM has encountered a solar power glitch that has halted signal transmissions. The glitch has affected the rover’s solar panels, making it challenging to generate electricity and recharge its batteries.
The solar panel malfunction has rendered SLIM incapacitated, with the rover expected to exhaust its power supply by tomorrow night, potentially curtailing Japan’s groundbreaking lunar exploration.
Japan’s Moon Rover Encounters Solar Power Glitch
There are concerns that the solar panels might be misaligned, hindering their ability to capture sunlight effectively. However, there remains optimism for a potential revival next month when changes in the sun’s direction could positively impact SLIM’s solar panel orientation.
Hitoshi Kuninaka, chief of the Japanese space agency, expressed the situation, saying, “It takes 30 days for the solar angle to change on the moon. So when the solar direction changes and the light shines from a different direction, the light could end up hitting the solar cell.”
The space agency is hopeful that the upcoming alterations in the sun’s position could provide a window of opportunity to address the power crisis and potentially resume the moon rover’s mission.
