Japan's Moon Lander Emerges Victorious from Lunar Night Challenge

Japan's Moon Lander Emerges Victorious from Lunar Night Challenge

Japan's Moon Rover Braves the Chilly Lunar Night, Endures Two Weeks in the Dark

Image credit; JAXA

Last night, Japan's national space agency Jaxa reported that #SLIM, its lunar research lander, received a command and promptly responded.

The spacecraft had been in sleep mode since a peculiar landing incident back in January, during which its solar panels were misaligned, rendering it unable to generate power.

A favorable shift in sunlight direction briefly enabled it to transmit images, but as lunar night descended, it entered shutdown mode once again.

Jaxa acknowledged that Slim, designed as a smart lander for lunar exploration, wasn't equipped to withstand the moon's harsh nights. However, they expressed plans to retry operations starting mid-February when sunlight would once again energize Slim's solar cells.

Dr. Simon Barber, associated with the UK's Open University, emphasized the significance of Slim's reactivation after enduring the cold lunar night. He underscored the technical challenges of surviving lunar nights, crucial for establishing sustained robotic or human presence on the moon.

Dr. Barber noted that Slim had landed near the lunar equator, where surface temperatures swing dramatically from over 100°C during the day to below -130°C at night.

Jaxa mentioned a temporary loss of contact with the lander shortly afterward due to overheating communication equipment during lunar noon. However, they assured that preparations were underway to resume operations once the instrument had cooled down sufficiently.

Jaxa is optimistic about pressing forward with its mission following the successful survival of the lunar night.

In January, Jaxa joined the ranks of the United States, former Soviet Union, China, and India as the fifth national space agency to accomplish a soft landing on the moon.

A historic moment unfolded on Thursday when the Odysseus Moon Lander, an American spacecraft, achieved the distinction of being the first privately constructed and operated robot to execute a soft lunar touchdown.

Similar to Slim, Odysseus experienced an unexpected descent. Controllers at Intuitive Machines, the operating company, suspect that their robot deviated from its intended course during touchdown. Nevertheless, Odysseus remains operational and maintains communication with Earth.

As of now, no images from the surface mission have been made public.