Japan’s ‘SLIM’ mission is the short form for ‘Smart Lander for Investigating Moon’. It entered lunar orbit on December 25, 2023, and made a soft moon landing on January 18, 2024. Unfortunately, SLIM settled with its solar panels facing away from the sun, meaning Japan’s moon lander batteries were unable to replenish their charge.
Batteries on Japan’s Moon Lander Fade
Batteries are important at so many critical points in our lives. This was equally true of SLIM lander. Technicians on Earth were able to establish contact, and download technical and image data throughout the descent and touch-down stages.
They also received confirmation the two small rovers released successfully, just before SLIM touched down. Unfortunately though, SLIM’s battery power was down to just 12% three hours into the landing. If it dropped further, the Earth team feared, they might not be able to restart the lander.
And so, with a heavy heart they shut the system down, not knowing if it might ever restart. At least the two mini-rovers were performing predictably. Meanwhile, Moon continued on its 24-day orbit around Earth.
The technicians are hoping sunlight will touch the solar cells sufficiently for SLIM to re-orientate itself, and that there would be no need to further drain Japan’s moon lander batteries consequently. This is quite possible, given SLIM is about the size of an armchair, and weighs in at just 250 pounds.
Hopes For Success With More Than a Little Luck
If SLIM’s orientation matches Moon’s orbit later, which is feasible, then Japan’s first moon lander could continue with its work. This will involve examining rocks in the crater where it landed, according to Interesting Engineering.
The secondary goal is to look for evidence of hidden water, while examining the exposed Moon mantle. The primary goal, of course, was to achieve a first moon landing without the lander batteries draining down.
More Information
Nuclear Fuel Cells Fit For The Moon
