TOKYO: A proposal to land Japan’s Omotenashi space probe on the Moon’s surface has been abandoned, the country’s space agency announced Tuesday.
The announcement comes after individuals familiar with the situation revealed that the 12.6-kilogram, box-shaped lander was unable to adjust its course after its launch last week because it could not establish reliable communications with controllers on Earth.
The probe, which is thought to be the smallest lunar lander in the world, launched last week from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on a NASA Space Launch System rocket.
Japan aerospace exploration agency’s statements
The probe’s course was impacted because its solar panels were pointed away from the sun due to the inconsistent connection between the aircraft and its handlers, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
JAXA officials tried to correct the craft’s trajectory and reduce its speed before its passing by the Moon in an unsuccessful attempt to land the spacecraft on the Moon’s surface at around 11:55 p.m. local time on Monday.
In an unsuccessful effort to land the 12.6-kilogram, box-shaped lander on the Moon’s surface at about 11:55 p.m. local time on Monday, JAXA authorities tried to adjust the craft’s trajectory and lessen its speed before it passed by the Moon.
According to JAXA officials, the decision to abandon plans for Japan to send its first probe to the Moon’s surface was made at approximately 2 a.m. local time on Tuesday. The rationale for the decision was that communications with Omotenashi had not improved.
Japan’s race to land on Moon
Japan would have been the fourth nation to land a craft on the Moon (after the former Soviet Union, the US, and China) had the lunar landing proceeded as planned.
Omotenashi will continue to be utilized in the future for additional missions that are already planned, such as determining the radiation exposure levels in space, but only if the probe’s communication issues can be resolved, claims JAXA. — Xinhua/APP
