NASA Moon Orbiter Spots Japan's Lander on the Lunar Surface As It Awaits Revival

NASA's Moon orbiter has photographed Japan's lander lying on the lunar surface. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down near the Shioli Crater on the near side of the Moon on January 19 but it faced issues with electricity generation soon after landing.

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has now photographed the lander as it passed over SLIM on January 24.

The image was taken from an altitude of 80 km and it shows SLIM as a small bright dot in the middle. The bright streaks on the left side of the image are rocky material ejected from the Shioli crater, NASA said.

JAXA has said that the objective of making a precision landing on the Moon has been accomplished. The objective was to touch down within a 100 meter area near the Shioli crater. Pictures released of the lander by JAXA, however, prove the landing is not flawless as SLIM is lying nosedown on the Moon.

The image above was taken by one of the two tiny Lunar Exploration Vehicles (LEV) which were released when SLIM was a few meters above the lunar surface. 

Another objective of SLIM is to carry out science experiments which will only be possible with electricity. JAXA said that the solar cells of the lander are not receiving sunlight thus no electricity and no experiments. 

JAXA officials said that there is hope for SLIM's revival but only when the solar angle changes and the cells receive some sunlight. Similar to ISRO's Vikram lander and Pragyan rover of Chandrayaan-3, SLIM is also designed to last one lunar day or 14 Earth days.