Japan’s space agency, Jaxa, remains optimistic about rescuing its Moon lander, the Slim spacecraft.
The historic lunar touchdown occurred on Saturday, but the spacecraft was powered down three hours later to conserve energy.
Engineers discovered that the solar cells were facing west, away from the Sun, rendering them unable to generate electricity.
The mission team is hopeful that the situation could improve as lighting conditions change, potentially allowing sunlight to hit the spacecraft in the right place.
“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,” the Jaxa statement read, the BBC reported.
Prior to the shutdown, mission control successfully collected information about Slim’s situation, including details of its predicament and data on its descent to the lunar surface.
The agency has assured the public that updates will be provided throughout the week.
Written by B.C. Begley
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B.C. Begley 