Title: The Jaxa Slim module resumes operations after its historic moon landing
Introduction :
The Japanese space agency, Jaxa, announced the restoration of communications with the Slim module, which made a historic moon landing on January 20. After a few days of silence, the module has resumed operations and has even already made its first scientific observations thanks to its on-board camera. This feat makes Japan the fifth country in the world to successfully land on the Moon, joining the United States, the USSR, China and India.
The challenge of the moon landing:
After an impressive moon landing just 55 meters from its initial target, the Slim module encountered an engine problem in the final meters of its descent, causing an inclined landing. The module’s photovoltaic cells were therefore poorly oriented and did not receive enough sunlight. However, the module recently came back to life, likely thanks to its solar battery’s power output being restored when exposed to sunlight.
The first scientific observations:
After communications were restored, the Slim module immediately began its scientific observations with its onboard camera. Jaxa even shared a photograph taken by the module, showing a rock called “Toy Poodle” on the lunar soil. This first step is crucial for the module’s mission, which aims to collect information on the internal structure of the Moon using two mini-rovers.
The challenges of the race to the Moon:
This success of Jaxa is part of a global race for the exploration of the Moon. The United States with its Artemis program plans to send astronauts back to the Moon and build a permanent base. China also has similar plans. For Japan, this success marks an important step after two unsuccessful moon landing attempts. Indeed, in 2022, a Jaxa probe experienced battery failure and last year, a lander from the private Japanese company ispace crashed on the lunar surface.
Conclusion :
The restoration of operations of the Jaxa Slim module after its historic moon landing is a great success for Japan and its conquest of space. This success illustrates the country’s technological advances in the field of lunar exploration, and brings Japan closer to the major space powers. The continuation of this mission and future scientific observations will undoubtedly allow us to better understand the internal structure of the Moon and lay the foundations for a lasting human presence on our natural satellite.