By SHOKO TAMAKI/ Staff Writer
January 25, 2024 at 18:58 JST
Japan’s SLIM probe on the moon photographed by the LEV-2 robot that accompanied the probe on its mission ((C) JAXA, Tomy Co., Sony Group Corp. and Doshisha University)
Japan’s space agency released on Jan. 25 the first photo of its lunar probe making a successful moon landing.
The remarkable photo was snapped by LEV-2, one of the two robots released from the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) probe moments before it touched down on the moon on Jan. 20.
Toy maker Tomy Co. and other organizations collaborated with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to develop the palm-size LEV-2.
Along with the image of SLIM, JAXA also released photos of the rough lunar surface taken by the probe using its multi-band spectral camera.
Although SLIM is currently inactive due to a solar panel failure, the probe managed to transmit these images back to Earth using its built-in battery.
The SLIM probe was launched in September from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Its successful lunar touchdown made Japan the fifth country to land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon after the former Soviet Union, the United States, China and India.
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