A Japanese moon explorer, known as the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), faced a few days of uncertainty due to a lack of sunlight necessary to generate power. The mission, Japan's first lunar endeavor, successfully touched down on January 20th but landed upside down, leaving its solar panels unable to receive sunlight. However, with the beginning of the lunar day, the probe has regained power and resumed its mission.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced on Monday that it had successfully established communication with the probe on Sunday night. As a result, the spacecraft is now back on track, capturing images of the moon's surface and transmitting them to Earth.
SLIM initially encountered an unexpected engine failure during its descent, leading to a rougher landing than initially planned. JAXA utilized battery power to gather as much data as possible about the touchdown and the surrounding area. The craft was then turned off to wait for the sun to rise higher in the lunar sky, which occurred in late January.
With power now restored, SLIM has resumed its work, primarily focusing on analyzing the composition of olivine rocks on the moon's surface. Equipped with a multi-band spectral camera, the probe aims to gather clues about the moon's origin and evolution. Early observations suggest that the moon may have formed when the Earth collided with another planet.
JAXA shared a black-and-white photo on social media, featuring the rocky lunar surface, including a particular rock that the agency has affectionately named 'Toy Poodle' based on its appearance in the initial images. In total, SLIM is analyzing six rocks, all of which have been given names of various dog breeds.
The current expectation is that SLIM will have enough sunlight to continue its operations for several more earth days, possibly until Thursday. However, it remains uncertain whether the craft will function once again after experiencing another severely cold lunar night.
The SLIM probe landed around 55 meters (60 yards) away from its designated target, between two craters near the Shioli crater. This region is known for its volcanic rock formations, unlike previous moon missions that usually aimed for flat areas at least 10 kilometers (6 miles) wide.
One notable aspect of SLIM's mission is its deployment of two autonomous probes. These probes were released just before touchdown and have been instrumental in recording data related to the landing, the surroundings, and other lunar phenomena.
With this successful landing, Japan has become the fifth country in the world, following the United States, the Soviet Union, China, and India, to explore the lunar surface.
As SLIM continues its mission, JAXA hopes that it will provide valuable insights into the moon's geological composition and history, contributing to our understanding of the Earth's closest celestial neighbor.
