Japan has landed a spacecraft on the moon for the first time, but the mission didn't go exactly according to plan

• Japan successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon for the first time in the nation's history.
• But the spacecraft isn't generating solar energy to power is suite of scientific instruments.
• Japan's space agency is extracting as much data as possible before the spacecraft's batteries die.

On Friday, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced that its SLIM spacecraft had successfully landed on the moon.

It's a momentous day for the nation as the landing marks the first time Japan has ever softly touched down on the lunar surface.