Slim probe landed metres rather than kilometres from its target, but a rocket malfunction has left it in an undignified position

A Japanese spacecraft made a historic “pinpoint” landing on the surface of the moon at the weekend, the country’s space agency has said, but there is a slight snag: the images being sent back suggest the probe is lying upside-down.

Japan became only the fifth country to put a craft on the lunar surface – after the US, the Soviet Union, China and India – when its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Slim) touched down in the early hours of Saturday.

Continue reading…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

How the EU’s vaccine effort turned into a crisis – podcast

Daniel Boffey, the Guardian’s Brussels bureau chief, looks at why the EU’s…

Police to provide safe space for women celebrating New Year’s Eve in London

Officers to work with charity set up to confront and prevent sexual…

Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam found guilty of murder and terrorism

Abdeslam was only survivor of 10-man terrorist unit that struck in city,…

Israel to take punitive steps against Palestinians after deadly attacks

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces moves after deadliest terrorist attack in Jerusalem…