Japan landed on the moon, but faced an unexpected failure

Japan managed to land on the moon, but that country's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) cut off the transmission and asked the public to wait while they checked the condition of the ship.

The agency explained, two hours after landing, that it had communications with the ship, but the solar panels could not generate power, perhaps because they were poorly oriented, which meant that they would run out of the energy needed to operate them.

However, JAXA officials explained during a press conference that “there is still hope” that when the sun's angle changes, the panels will generate electricity again.

Japan sought to become the fifth country to successfully land on the moon using one of its devices, after the Soviet Union, the United States, China and India.

The SLIM (Lunar Exploration Intelligent Lander) probe, also known as the Lunar Sniper, wants to land with much greater precision than usual.

The Eagle module, with which Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans on the Moon, had sufficient precision to land on an oval 20 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide.

Meanwhile, SLIM intends to land at a maximum distance of 100 meters from the point chosen to do so, in Shiuli crater.

Just moments before touching lunar soil, SLIM will launch its two explorer robots, LEV-1 and LEV-2.

Although more than half a century has passed since the moon landing, the success rate is still around 50 percent.

JAXA's goal is to prove that its technology not only allows it to land safely on an extraterrestrial world, but to do so exactly where each mission requires it. (unavailable)