Japan’s Slim spacecraft lands on moon but struggles to generate power

An artist’s illustration of the Slim lander on the moon. A problem with the lander’s solar panels meant it was operating purely on existing battery power. Photograph: Jaxa Handout/EPA

Japan’s hopes to become the fifth country to land a working spacecraft softly on the moon ran into difficulties on Friday after mission controllers said the probe was unable to generate electricity after touchdown.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Slim) was trialling new technologies for pinpoint landings, but after an apparently flawless approach and descent, the mission hit a glitch when the probe landed soon after 3pm UK time.