Japan has marked a significant milestone in its space history with its lunar lander, SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon). After a turbulent landing on January 19, 2024, near the Shioli crater, SLIM found itself in a precarious position, hindering its operation. However, in good news, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced on January 28 that it had re-established communication with SLIM.
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), photographed by LEV-2 on the Moon, released on January 25, 2024.
Credit: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
During its descent, SLIM encountered a technical issue: one of its main thrusters malfunctioned, causing it to tilt. Despite this incident, the lander managed to touch down with remarkable precision, merely 330 feet from its target. This technological feat places Japan among the exclusive circle of nations capable of precise landings on the Moon.
SLIM's uniqueness lies in its innovative navigation system. By comparing the real-time images captured by its camera with satellite photographs of the Moon, SLIM was able to determine its position with unmatched precision. This successful landing evidences Japan's significant technological advancement in space exploration.
But SLIM's journey doesn't end here. After temporarily losing its ability to generate electricity due to a poor alignment of its solar panels, the device finally began to produce energy again. This resurgence of activity is likely due to a change in the orientation of the solar rays. Therefore, SLIM will continue its main mission: analyzing the composition of olivine rocks, a common mineral in the lunar crust, using a multi-band spectral camera capable of capturing images beyond the wavelengths visible to the human eye.
Before this temporary power loss, JAXA had shared images captured by SLIM's camera, unveiling rocks in the vicinity. A new glimpse of the lunar surface was also released, displaying a rock affectionately nicknamed "plush poodle" by the JAXA team.
Although the operational future of SLIM remains uncertain, the agency clarified that the device was not designed to survive a lunar night, with the next one beginning on February 1st.