JAXA reports the second unexpected awakening of the SLIM module and the transmission of new photographs from the Moon
Japanese lunar module SLIM successfully «survived» its second two-week moonlit night. The “smart lunar exploration lander” reached the lunar surface in January, making Japan the fifth country to do so. However, the light lander landed at the wrong angle, causing its solar panels to face the wrong way.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced the unexpected awakening of SLIM. A new black and white photograph of the rocky surface of the crater was published on the official X module account.
This news appeared after the unmanned American vehicle «Odyssey» — the first private spacecraft to successfully reach the Moon — couldn't «wake up». Intuitive Machines, the manufacturer of this device, hoped that it could be revived, like the Japanese SLIM module, but after numerous unsuccessful attempts to communicate, it announced the end of the mission. Like SLIM, «Odie» also landed at the wrong angle, but was able to conduct several studies and transmit photographs before the beginning of the last lunar night.
JAXA nicknamed SLIM «Moon Sniper» because of its precision fit technology. The purpose of the mission was to study the part of the Moon's mantle where the module ended up.
On January 20, approximately three hours after landing, JAXA turned off the module to conserve power while receiving technical and visual data on the descent. When the Sun's angle changed in late January, the module woke up for two days and made scientific observations.
JAXA notes that the space module is not designed for extreme lunar nights, when temperatures drop below -130 degrees Celsius.
Therefore, the successful awakening of SLIM — cause for celebration among mission engineers. Especially after a number of high-profile failures, including two previous Japanese lunar missions — public and private.
In 2022, Japan failed to successfully send the Omotenashi lunar probe as part of the American Artemis 1 mission. Then in April 2023, the Japanese startup ispace lost contact with its device after a «hard landing»..
Japan's space successes have also been twofold this year. In February, JAXA successfully launched its new flagship rocket, the H3. But two weeks ago, another rocket, developed by Tokyo-based Space One, caught fire, a spectacular failure of the startup's attempt to launch a satellite into orbit.