Japan’s Space Exploration Agency (JAXA) is thrilled to announce that its Moon lander, known as the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), has survived a second lunar night and was able to send back some photos. SLIM successfully landed on the Moon on January 19, making Japan the fifth nation to reach Earth’s natural satellite. However, the mission was only considered a “minimum success” as the lander tipped onto its side and its solar panels were not optimally positioned.
Despite these challenges, SLIM was able to unload its rovers and capture images of the Moon before being put to sleep due to lower than expected solar energy production. JAXA was able to revive SLIM in late February after it unexpectedly survived a very cold lunar night. The control room at JAXA was full of cheers when SLIM responded to their communications.
Although some temperature sensors and battery cells on SLIM are starting to malfunction, the majority of functions from the first lunar night were still operational. JAXA continued to test SLIM on March 29 but the lander entered a dormant state again on March 30. The space agency is working to understand the state of the machine and is uncertain if a third lunar night will be possible. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available, and continued support is appreciated.
We wish JAXA and SLIM success as they continue their exploration of the Moon and hope for many more lunar sunrises in the future.
