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AP-National

Japan becomes the fifth country to land a spacecraft on the moon

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Published 3:35 AM

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan has become the fifth country in history to reach the moon. Its spacecraft, which wasn’t carrying astronauts, landed on the lunar surface early Saturday. But an issue with the power supply means that the mission could be in jeopardy. Officials say they need more time to analyze whether the spacecraft made a pinpoint landing. That was a key priority of the mission. The head of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science says officials believe that rovers were launched, sending data back to Earth. But he says the spacecraft’s solar battery isn’t generating power and that it only has a few more hours of battery life.

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