INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Japan’s ‘Chandrayaan’, the moon slept for the night!

Tokyo. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)’s Smart Lander (SLIM) managed to capture one last view of the moon with its navigation camera before it plunged into lunar twilight, providing valuable data and imagery of the lunar surface.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)’s Smart Lander on the Moon (SLIM) has entered idle mode as lunar night falls over the crater where it made its historic landing. The lander’s journey has not been without obstacles. After landing on January 19, SLIM encountered problems with its solar panels being at the wrong angle, causing a loss of power.

SLIM now faces two weeks of extreme cold and darkness of the lunar night. SLIM operations ceased from January 30 to January 31, marking the beginning of a challenging period for the lander. Although SLIM was not initially designed to withstand the harsh conditions of lunar nights, in which temperatures drop to -170 degrees Celsius, those scientists are still hopeful.

JAXA sent commands to SLIM’s communications equipment on the night of 31 January to 1 February as a precautionary measure. However, no response was received, confirming the lander’s deactivation. Despite this, the probe miraculously regained power after more than a week, demonstrating its resilience and the robustness of its systems.