Space | The Japanese launcher hit its target almost perfectly but ended up in the wrong direction

of Japan the Slim lunar lander that landed on the surface of the moon at the end of last week seems to be facing the wrong way based on the image published by the country's space agency Jaxa. The matter is reported, among other things, by a US newspaper The New York Times and a British magazine The Guardian.

The Slim designation comes from the ship's English name Smart Lander for Investigating Moon.

Jaxa has said that Slim landed historically close to his planned destination a week ago on Friday evening Finnish time. Slim landed on the surface of the Moon only 55 meters away from its target, when it was supposed to land 100 meters away.

According to Jaxa, if one of Slim's engines had not failed during the landing phase, it would probably have landed more smoothly and gotten three to four meters away from its target. With only one engine, it hit the surface of the Moon at a speed of about five kilometers per hour.

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

Now Slim is on the surface of the Moon between two craters in an area covered by volcanic rock. After landing, it apparently tumbled down the crater and its solar cells ended up pointing in the wrong direction, preventing it from recharging itself.

Jaxa had to shut down the lander just three hours after touchdown, with 12 percent battery left. According to Jaxa, it is possible that the lander can still be charged in the coming days, when sunlight begins to reach the west side of the Moon. The operation could resume on February 1.

Leader of the Slim project Shinichiro Sakai said in a press conference after the landing that he has mixed feelings about the landing.

“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,” Sakai told a press conference, according to the NY Times.

Before after landing, Slim released two unmanned robots on the surface of the Moon, which recorded the landing and sent images to Earth. The purpose is to study the rocks of the Moon and find out if there are water resources there.

Japan launched a rocket carrying a lander towards the moon in September. It first went around the Earth's orbit and reached the Moon's orbit on Christmas Day.