Japan’s lunar mission lands precisely but upside down

Tokyo, January 25

Japan’s space agency said on Thursday that its first lunar mission hit the tiny patch of the moon’s surface it was aiming for, in a successful demonstration of its pinpoint landing system — although the probe appears to be lying upside down. Japan became the fifth country in history to reach the moon. But trouble with the probe’s solar batteries made it hard at first to figure whether the probe landed in the target zone.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency determined that the spacecraft landed just 55 metres from its target, almost precisely.

But after the landing mishap, the craft’s solar panels wound up facing the wrong direction, and it cannot generate power. Officials said there is still hope the probe will be able to recharge when the Moon enters its daytime in the coming days. — AP