Japan's lunar probe 'SLIM' has once again halted operations due to power issues, Kyodo News and Sankei Shimbun reported on the 1st.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced that it suspended SLIM's activities on the 31st of last month, judging that the probe's landing site was in a situation where solar power generation was not possible.
JAXA plans to attempt operations again once sunlight reaches SLIM's solar cells after mid-month. However, Kyodo News reported that it is uncertain whether SLIM can resume activities, as it was not designed to withstand extremely cold environments.
SLIM landed on the moon on the 20th of last month, but JAXA halted its operation just two and a half hours after landing because the probe was tilted and unable to generate solar power.
Subsequently, SLIM was able to generate solar power dramatically, and operations resumed through communication with the ground on the 28th of last month.
On the same day, Aizu University and Ritsumeikan University released new images of lunar surface rocks taken by the camera onboard SLIM. Kyodo News reported, "We were able to observe more of the moon than initially expected," adding, "Judgment and chemical composition analysis of rocks that will approach the mystery of the moon's origin will be promoted."
Japan began its space business in earnest based on the US-Japan Space Cooperation Agreement signed in 1969, and established JAXA in 2003 by integrating space-related projects. In 2008, the Basic Space Law was enacted, placing JAXA directly under the Cabinet. With SLIM's lunar surface landing this month, Japan became the fifth country in the world to successfully land on the moon.
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