<h5><strong>What is ‘SLIM’?</strong></h5><p>Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is a lunar lander mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It landed on the moon on January 20. The probe’s touchdown made Japan the fifth country in history to put a spacecraft on the moon after the United States, the Soviet Union, China, and India. &nbsp;</p><p>The lander has achieved its goal of landing within 100 meters of its target, touching down 55 meters away, which is much more precise than the usual Landing Zone Range that experts put at several kilometres.</p><p>SLIM recently resumed exploration of the moon’s surface after nine days of its landing.</p><div class="raw-html-embed">
<figure> <video width="100%" controls=""> <source src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/japan-s-moonlander-comes-back-to-life%2FGEyhWMXWQAAcFYu.mp4?alt=media&amp;token=5a8688b1-db2b-4259-97ed-83121376774a” video/mp4"> </video> <figcaption>Before and after image of the Moon’s surface after SLIM’s landing. Video by NASA Moon / Twitter.
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</div><h5><strong>What had happened to Japan’s Moonlander ‘SLIM’?</strong></h5><p>It had earlier run out of power and gone silent. JAXA said the spacecraft landed facing the wrong direction, and one of its engines failed during the landing. There were also problems with the craft’s solar batteries, which meant they were not generating power.&nbsp;</p><p>Officials in the Japanese agency claim that the lander could not charge as it may have toppled, so it could not get direct sunlight to recharge. The agency shut off the lunar explorer to conserve its battery, saying it would automatically be restarted if its solar panel began generating power as the moon's angle changed.&nbsp;</p><p>The solar panels on the lander were at an angle that could not efficiently receive sunlight. This is why it took the lander 9 days to recharge its batteries and establish communication. JAXA reestablished communication for probing the moon late on Sunday.&nbsp;</p><h5><strong>What is next for the SLIM Moonlander?</strong></h5><p>The spacecraft would see clues about the moon's origin, including analysing minerals with a special camera. According to the JAXA, the lander has resumed exploration of the moon’s surface with scientific observation, immediately starting with the multi–band camera on board.</p><p>Japan aims to use the lander to collect information about a region of the moon called the Sea of Nectar (Mare Nectaris).&nbsp;</p>

The lander SLIM had shut down soon after landing on the moon’s surface.

Japan's Moonlander Comes Back to Life

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Japan's Moonlander Comes Back to Life

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