Space News reports that Japan’s SLIM moon lander “has resumed operations more than a week after its imperfect yet historic lunar landing.” The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) “confirmed contact had been reestablished with the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) spacecraft late Jan. 28.” The development “comes just days ahead of a likely mission-ending sunset.” The large SUV-sized spacecraft “was forced to power down just two over hours after landing Jan. 19 due to its solar cell not generating electricity.” SLIM finally “powered up again as the position of the sun in the sky changed, finally illuminated SLIM’s solar cell.”
Full Story (Space News)
Tag: Powers Up
Sierra Space Powers Up Dream Chaser in its Assembly Facility for First Time
Space News reports Sierra Space announced May 31 that it has powered up its Dream Chaser spaceplane “in its assembly facility for the first time [in a key test], feeding electrical power into the vehicle that, in space, would be generated by its solar panels and turning on flight computers and other components.” Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice said in a statement that “this is a milestone that points to the future and is a key moment in a long journey for Dream Chaser.” According to Space News, the “test comes as the company prepares to ship the first Dream Chaser, called Tenacity, to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio, the former Plum Brook Station. There, the spacecraft will go through thermal vacuum tests before shipping to Cape Canaveral for final launch preparations.”
Full Story (Space News)