On Monday, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced the successful revival of its Moon lander following a challenging two-week lunar night. The unmanned Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, had initially encountered a setback upon its landing in January, as it touched down at an irregular angle, causing its solar panels to face the wrong direction. However, in a recent update, JAXA revealed that as the Sun's angle shifted, SLIM sprang back to life for a brief two-day period. During this time, it conducted scientific observations of a crater using its high-spec camera, marking a significant achievement in lunar exploration.
#Japan #MoonLander #SLIM #LunarExploration #SpaceTechnology #JAXA #SpaceMission #LunarNight #Survival #Innovation #SpaceEngineering #Astronomy #MoonSurface #LunarMission #SpaceAchievement #SpaceScience #Exploration #Astrobiology #SpaceExploration #SpaceSurvival
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#Japan #MoonLander #SLIM #LunarExploration #SpaceTechnology #JAXA #SpaceMission #LunarNight #Survival #Innovation #SpaceEngineering #Astronomy #MoonSurface #LunarMission #SpaceAchievement #SpaceScience #Exploration #Astrobiology #SpaceExploration #SpaceSurvival
~HT.99~ED.194~PR.152~
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NewsTranscript
00:00 On Monday, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, announced the successful revival
00:06 of its Moon lander following a challenging two-week lunar night.
00:11 The unmanned smart lander for investigating Moon, or SLIM, had initially encountered a
00:15 setback upon its landing in January as it touched down at an irregular angle, causing
00:20 its solar panels to face the wrong direction.
00:23 However, in a recent update, JAXA revealed that as the sun's angle shifted, SLIM sprang
00:28 back to life for a brief two-day period.
00:30 During this time, it conducted scientific observations of a crater using its high-spec
00:35 camera, marking a significant achievement in lunar exploration.
00:40 As darkness fell once again, the lander slipped back into sleep mode.
00:44 Given that it was not designed for the harsh lunar nights, JAXA had harboured uncertainties
00:49 regarding its reawakening.
00:50 However, a recent update brought relief as JAXA conveyed, "Last night, a command was
00:55 sent to SLIM and a response was received, confirming that the spacecraft has made it
01:00 through the lunar night and maintained communication capabilities."
01:04 Despite this positive development, communication with SLIM was short-lived as it was still
01:08 lunar midday, causing the temperature of the communication equipment to soar.
01:12 JAXA assured, "Preparations are being made to resume operations when instrument temperatures
01:17 have sufficiently cooled."
01:20 SLIM achieved a precise touchdown on the Moon on January 19, marking Japan as the fifth
01:25 country to land a probe on the lunar surface.
01:27 However, during its descent, the craft encountered engine issues, resulting in a sideways landing
01:32 and misalignment of its solar panels, facing west instead of upwards.
01:38 Despite this setback, Japan celebrated another milestone last week with the successful launch
01:42 of its new H-3 flagship rocket.
01:44 On February 17, the H-3 took off at 9.22am local time, deploying a small satellite into
01:50 orbit with precision.
01:52 Throughout its nearly two-hour flight, the rocket also released a micro-satellite and
01:56 a dummy satellite.
01:57 "The newborn H-3 has just made its first cry," remarked JAXA project manager Masashi
02:03 Okada, who spearheaded the decade-long development of the new rocket during a briefing with reporters.
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