“If sunlight hits the Moon from the west in the future, we believe there’s a possibility of power generation, and we’re currently preparing for restoration,” the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a statement.

Japan became just the fifth nation in history to accomplish a soft lunar landing during the mission of the spacecraft known as the “Moon Sniper” because to its ability to make precise landings.

However, JAXA reported that it was impossible to verify that the craft’s solar batteries were producing electricity following the touchdown at twenty minutes past midnight.

“The battery was disconnected according to our procedures with 12 percent power remaining, in order to avoid a situation where the restart (of the lander) would be hampered,” it said.

“As a result, the spacecraft was switched off at 2:57 (JST).”

According to the organization, a thorough study of the data gathered during the landing is currently underway.

This will make it easier to assess if the craft succeeded in landing 100 meters (yards) from where it was supposed to.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), the official name of the “Moon Sniper” mission, was designed to target a crater where the Moon’s mantle—the typically deep underlying layer underneath its crust—is thought to be exposed on the surface.

“We were able to complete the transmission of technical and image data acquired during the descent and on the lunar surface before the power was switched off,” JAXA said.

“We’re relieved and starting to get excited after confirming a lot of data has been obtained,” the statement continued, noting that “SLIM’s solar cells are facing west according to the telemetry data.”
JAXA also stated that it was getting ready to release more information this week regarding the mission’s outcomes and the SLIM craft’s condition.

“The post-landing posture didn’t go as planned, but we may be able to produce plenty of results and we’re happy that the landing succeeded.”

Fifty years after the first human landing to the Moon, governments and commercial companies are launching multiple new lunar missions, including SLIM.

There are many crash landings and communication errors, and only four other nations—China, the Soviet Union, India, and the United States—have successfully reached the moon.