Japan’s SLIM Lunar Lander Mission Officially Terminated After Loss of Communication
Tokyo, August 27, 2024 – TheJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has officially announced the termination of its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission, confirming the lossof communication with the lunar lander. The decision comes after months of unsuccessful attempts to re-establish contact with the spacecraft, which landed on the Moon in January2024.
JAXA issued a statement on August 26, confirming that the agency had sent a final command to SLIM on August 23, effectively ending its mission. The agency had been unable to communicatewith the lander since May, despite numerous attempts to re-establish contact.
We have been trying to regain communication with SLIM since May, but unfortunately, we have not been successful, JAXA stated in the announcement.We have concluded that it is highly unlikely that we will be able to regain communication, and therefore, we have made the difficult decision to terminate the mission.
SLIM’s mission was to demonstrate precision landing technology, aiming to land within 100 meters of a designated target on the lunar surface. Whilethe lander successfully touched down on the Moon, it encountered difficulties after landing, leading to the loss of communication.
The mission’s termination marks a setback for Japan’s ambitious space exploration program. SLIM was a highly anticipated mission, designed to showcase Japan’s technological prowess in lunar exploration. The successful demonstrationof precision landing technology would have paved the way for future lunar missions, including potential human exploration.
Despite the mission’s unfortunate outcome, JAXA maintains that valuable data was collected during SLIM’s operational phase. The agency plans to analyze the data to gain insights into the challenges of lunar landing and to improvefuture missions.
While we are disappointed with the loss of communication with SLIM, we have learned a great deal from this mission, said a JAXA spokesperson. The data we have collected will be invaluable in our future efforts to explore the Moon and beyond.
The termination of the SLIM mission comesat a time when global space exploration is rapidly advancing. Several nations, including the United States, China, and India, are actively pursuing lunar missions, aiming to establish a permanent presence on the Moon.
Japan’s space program has been steadily gaining momentum in recent years, with successful missions like the Hayabusa2 asteroid sample return mission. The SLIM mission was intended to be a key step in Japan’s long-term lunar exploration goals.
The loss of SLIM is a reminder of the inherent risks associated with space exploration. However, it also highlights the importance of perseverance and continuous learning in pushing the boundaries of humanknowledge and technological capabilities.
JAXA’s commitment to lunar exploration remains strong, and the agency is already planning future missions to the Moon, including the development of a lunar rover and a potential lunar base. The lessons learned from the SLIM mission will undoubtedly contribute to the success of these future endeavors.
【source】https://www.ithome.com/0/791/393.htm
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