Japan’s Ballistic Missile Struck its Target Accurately but Veered in Wrong Direction

The second engine of the Slim lander failed during its landing, yet it was able to approach its target within 55 meters on .

According to images published by Japan’s space agency Jaxa, the Slim lunar lander, which landed on the moon last week, appears to be facing the incorrect direction. This information has been reported by the New York Times in the United States and The Guardian in the United Kingdom.

The name Slim is derived from its English name, the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon.

Jaxa reported that Slim landed historically close to its planned destination a week ago on Friday evening Finnish time. Slim landed only 55 meters away from its target on the moon’s surface, while it was expected to land no more than a hundred meters away.

Jaxa speculates that if Slim’s engine hadn’t failed during the landing, it would likely have landed more smoothly and gotten closer to its target by about three to four meters. With only one engine, it hit the moon’s surface at a speed of approximately five kilometers per hour.

In similar landings, the contact point areas are usually several kilometers in diameter.

Currently, Slim is situated on the moon’s surface between two craters in an area covered with volcanic rock. It seems to have tumbled down a crater after landing, causing its solar cells to point in the wrong direction, which prevents it from recharging.

Jaxa had to shut down the lander just three hours after landing, with only 12 percent battery remaining. Jaxa believes that it might be possible to charge the lander in the upcoming days when sunlight starts reaching the west side of the moon. The operation could resume by February 1.

Shinichiro Sakai, the leader of the Slim project, expressed mixed feelings about the landing at a press conference.

He mentioned, “If the solar cells had ended up pointing towards the ground, there would be no chance of receiving sunlight. I’m relieved that it ended the way it did,” as quoted by the NY Times.

After landing, Slim released two unmanned robots onto the moon’s surface, which documented the landing and transmitted images back to Earth. The aim is to study the moon’s rocks and determine if there are any water resources present.

Japan launched a rocket carrying the lander towards the moon in September. It initially orbited the Earth before reaching the moon’s orbit on Christmas Day.