A Japanese rover managed to move on the moon's surface like a grasshopper

04:12 pm

he Lunar mission vehicle LEV-1, a 2.1-kilogram robot deployed from Japan's SLIM lander, achieved its goal of locomotion by making small hops on the lunar surface.

After its deployment was confirmed on January 20, shortly before the landing of the SLIM module, which recorded a problem generating power with its solar cells, the “Little Grasshopper” LEV-1 He was able to successfully carry out activities on the moon's surface. Telemetry data was sent directly from the robot, Japanese space agency JAXA reported.

According to telemetry data, after deployment from SLIM, “LEV-1 carried out planned jump movements and direct communication with ground stations.”, including the transfer of test radio wave data between robots from the Lunar Convertible Robot (LEV-2, nicknamed “SORA-Q”). This rover, deployed alongside LEV-1, is shaped like a sphere with a diameter of 8 centimeters and a mass of 250 grams.

On the other side, Image acquisition on the lunar surface from LEV-1 has not yet been confirmed. Yes, images were received from SORA-Q, specifically from the SLIM unit itself.

According to the statement, LEV-1 “has completed its planned operating period on the lunar surface, has exhausted its allocated energy, and is in standby status.” While the ability to resume activity depends on generating solar energy from changes in the direction of the sun.”Efforts will be maintained to continue receiving signals from LEV-1“.

LEV-1 and LEV-2 became the first Japanese robots to explore the moon. Moreover, the small LEV-1, with a mass of 2.1 kg (including a communicator weighing 90 g), Achieving successful direct contact with the Earth from the Moon.

This is considered the smallest and lightest case in the world to transmit data directly from a distance of approximately 380,000 kilometers, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

In addition to the jumping movements of LEV-1 on the lunar surface, the inter-robot communication between LEV-1 and LEV-2 and fully autonomous operations represents a groundbreaking achievement, notes the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Finally, it is worth noting that Radio amateurs around the world received radio wave transmissions in the UHF band from LEV-1.