Yeah, that’s the bigger deal. They lost an engine and still managed a soft landing. They just landed upside down – but the solar cells might still work.
And for the record, the lander was supposed to land on its side. It’s designed to do a quarter turn just before it touches the ground, but because of a slope, it rolled a little bit further than they wanted.
Angled westward because of the tumble, SLIM’s solar panels have been unable to generate electricity, but a change in the direction of sunlight could power it up before the next lunar sunset on Feb. 1 brings freezing cold
SLIM’s landing site is illuminated by sunlight until Feb. 1, and researchers are hoping that as the sun heads toward the west in lunar skies, the lander’s solar cells will soak up enough light to allow for the resumption of powered operations.
Yeah, that’s the bigger deal. They lost an engine and still managed a soft landing. They just landed upside down – but the solar cells might still work.
And for the record, the lander was supposed to land on its side. It’s designed to do a quarter turn just before it touches the ground, but because of a slope, it rolled a little bit further than they wanted.
It was so close to perfect!
deleted by creator
From a different article:
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-says-slim-spacecrafts-pinpoint-moon-landing-is-success-2024-01-25/
And another:
https://www.universetoday.com/165429/japan-slim-moon-lander-on-side/
deleted by creator