Japan's 'Moon Sniper' Lands, Makes Contact, But Power Running Low
Voice of America
A Super blue moon rises behind Marina Bay Sands observation deck in Singapore, Aug. 31, 2023.
Japan on Saturday became only the fifth nation to achieve a soft lunar landing, but its Moon Sniper spacecraft was running out of power because of a problem with its solar battery.
FILE - A monarch butterfly rests near a stream at Piedra Herrada sanctuary in the mountains near Valle de Bravo, Mexico, Jan. 4, 2023.
Demonstrators gather for the Stand Up For Science rally near the Lincoln Memorial, March 7, 2025, in Washington. A protestor wearing a fish costume holds a sign as demonstrators gather for the Stand Up For Science rally near the Lincoln Memorial, March 7, 2025, in Washington.
FILE - A photo illustration of bitcoin is seen at consensus, the flagship event of Coindesk and the data platform for the global crypto economy, at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Hong Kong on Feb. 19, 2025.
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship lifts off for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, March 6, 2025.
Callum Ganz, 17, center, gives a pre-show pep talk to castmates in 'Crazy for You' on opening night as the Theatre Palisades Youth group returns to the stage after losing their theater in the Palisades fire, in Los Angeles, Feb. 28, 2025. A Theatre Palisades stands next to the theater destroyed by the Palisades Fire, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif., Jan. 25, 2025.
This March 3, 2025, image courtesy of Intuitive Machines, LLC shows the company's IM-2 mission Nova-C class lunar lander, Athena, in circular orbit around the moon.
FILE - Cars drive along a highway photographed through a glass window during a dust storm amid heavy pollution in Beijing, March 10, 2023.
FILE - Open AI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman speaks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Sept. 23, 2024. A U.S. judge on Tuesday denied Elon Musk's request to prevent OpenAI from becoming a for-profit business.
Trent, left, and Victoria Warmerdam, winners of the award for best live action short film for "I'm Not a Robot," attend the Governors Ball after the Oscars on March 2, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Staff at the Mission Control outside Austin, Texas celebrating as lunar lander Blue Ghost touches down on the moon with a special delivery for NASA, March 2, 2025. (NASA/Firefly Aerospace via AP) Private lunar lander Blue Ghost after touching down on the moon with a special delivery for NASA, March 2, 2025. (NASA/Firefly Aerospace via AP)
Trent, left, and Victoria Warmerdam, winners of the award for best live action short film for "I'm Not a Robot," attend the Governors Ball after the Oscars on March 2, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Workers carry an Oscar statue as Hollywood Boulevard continues to be transformed into the red carpet arrival area for the 97th Academy Awards, in Los Angeles, California, Feb. 28, 2025.
Staff at the Mission Control outside Austin, Texas celebrating as lunar lander Blue Ghost touches down on the moon with a special delivery for NASA, March 2, 2025. (NASA/Firefly Aerospace via AP) Private lunar lander Blue Ghost after touching down on the moon with a special delivery for NASA, March 2, 2025. (NASA/Firefly Aerospace via AP)