Japan’s Space Exploration Agency (JAXA) recently announced that its Moon lander, known as the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), has successfully survived two lunar nights and sent back some photos. SLIM 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.
However, some temperature sensors and battery cells on SLIM are starting to malfunction, causing uncertainty about whether a third lunar night will be possible. JAXA continued to test SLIM on March 29 but the lander entered a dormant state again on March 30. The space agency is working hard to understand the state of the machine and ensure continued support is appreciated as they continue their exploration of the Moon.
