Japan's Moon sniper switched off, space agency says data transmission completed

Almost three hours post-landing, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)"switched off" the Moon lander and revealed that "a lot of data has been obtained" during the descent and lunar surface exploration.

"We were able to complete the transmission of technical and image data acquired during the descent and on the lunar surface before the power was switched off... a lot of data has been obtained," the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA)said.

This comes after a historic achievement when Japan's 'Moon Sniper' craft, also known as the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), successfully executed a "soft landing" on the lunar surface on Friday (Jan 19).

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This accomplishment solidified Japan as the fifth nation globally to achieve a lunar landing, joining the ranks of the United States, Russia, China, and India.

Additionally, the country's space agency said that there still exists a chance of restoring the lander.

"According to the telemetry data, SLIM's solar cells are facing west. So if sunlight hits the Moon from the west in the future, we believe there's a possibility of power generation, and we're currently preparing for restoration," said the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

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Notably, India recently celebrated its historic soft landing near the Moon's south pole.

Japan's SLIM faced challenges as its solar cells were not generating sufficient power, but the mission marked asuccess after two previous lunar mission failures.

The 'Moon Sniper' aimed for a "pinpoint" landing, a challenging task due to the Moon's stronger gravity compared to previous asteroid landings.

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The landing site, a lunar crater believed to provide access to the lunar mantle beneath the crust, showcased Japan's technological prowess.

JAXA's Hitoshi Kuninaka at the time said, "Communication has been established since landing, but the solar cells are not generating power, and data acquisition from the lunar surface is given priority."

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The SLIM operated on onboard batteries, storing landing data for later transmission to Earth.

Russia's lunar landing craft failed just before India's success, and US private firm Astrobotic faced challenges as its Peregrine spacecraft, launched on January 8, encountered an explosion and fuel leak, ultimately unable to land on the Moon.Astrobotic, in collaboration with NASA, adjusted the spacecraft's trajectory. This resulted in a controlled entry into Earth's atmosphere and burning off on January 19.

(With inputs from agencies)