Japan’s space agency, JAXA, has announced the end of its lunar lander operation after losing communication with the uncrewed spacecraft last week.
The “Smart Lander for Investigating Moon” (SLIM), nicknamed the “Moon Sniper” for its precision landing, touched down on the lunar surface eight months ago, making Japan the fifth nation to achieve a soft landing on the Moon.
JAXA reported that they had no response from the SLIM lander after attempts to communicate following three frigid lunar nights, or six cold weeks, on the Moon. “We judged that there was no prospect of restoring communication with SLIM, and at around 22:40 (1340 GMT) on August 23, we sent a command to stop the SLIM activity,” the agency said in a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The SLIM lander’s touchdown in January was successful, but it landed at an awkward angle that left its solar panels facing the wrong way.
The spacecraft was able to power back up and conduct scientific observations for two days before succumbing to the extreme lunar temperatures, which can drop to minus 133 degrees Celsius during the two-week-long lunar nights.
Despite defying expectations by reactivating a third time in April, the SLIM mission has now been terminated, less than a year after its launch.
JAXA acknowledged that the operation continued much longer than initially anticipated, stating, “At the time of launch, no one imagined that the operation would continue this long.”
Read more
Five dead as Japan airplanes engulf in flames after collision
The SLIM mission aimed to examine a section of the Moon’s mantle, the deep inner layer beneath the lunar crust, which was believed to be accessible at the crater where the lander touched down.
While the mission was cut short, JAXA’s successful soft landing of the SLIM lander represents a significant milestone for Japan’s lunar exploration program.
