TOKYO—Japan’s space agency announced on Wednesday that its first moon lander has successfully endured a third freezing lunar night. The device sent an image back to Earth three months after landing on the moon.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency confirmed that the lunar probe responded to a signal from Earth on Tuesday night, indicating that it had survived another lunar night, where temperatures can drop as low as minus 170 degrees Celsius (minus 274 degrees Fahrenheit) and rise to around 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) during the lunar day.
The probe, known as Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), landed on the lunar surface on Jan. 20, marking Japan as the fifth country to successfully place a probe on the moon. Initially landing upside down with its solar panels unable to see the sun, SLIM had to be shut down within hours but was able to power on when the sun rose eight days later.
Although SLIM was not designed to survive lunar nights, JAXA reported that its key functions are still operational despite the harsh temperature changes. The agency plans to monitor the lander closely for any signs of deterioration.
Scientists are using SLIM to gather geological data and images in hopes of uncovering clues about the moon’s origin by comparing mineral compositions of moon rocks to those of Earth.
Notably, NASA recently restored contact with Voyager 1, the farthest space probe from Earth, after receiving garbled data for months. In contrast, a U.S. lunar probe from a private space company ceased operations a month after landing in February, and an Indian moon lander failed to establish communication after touchdown in 2023.
By Mari Yamaguchi
