Japan becomes fifth country to reach Moon as spacecraft lands on lunar surface

Staff at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency prepare to watch a livestream of the pinpoint Moon landing operation by the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon spacecraft at JAXA’s Sagamihara Campus in Sagamihara near Tokyo (Eugene Hoshiko/AP)

Japan became the fifth country in history to reach the Moon when its spacecraft landed on the lunar surface, officials have said, but an issue with the power supply means that the mission could be in jeopardy.

Officials also said they need more time to analyse whether the spacecraft, which was not carrying astronauts, made a pinpoint landing – one of the priorities of the mission.