The Japanese lunar probe Slim has woken up from sleep mode after a two-week lunar night. “Yesterday we sent a command to which Slim responded,” the Japanese space agency Jaxa said on the online service X on Monday.
Communication with #THIN was ended after a short time, because it was still Monday afternoon and the temperature of the communications equipment was very high. Preparations are made to resume operations once the instrument temperature has dropped sufficiently. #GoodAfterMoon #JAXA
— 小型月着陸実証機SLIM (@SLIM_JAXA) February 26, 2024
The probe managed to survive the lunar night and “maintain its communications function.”
Slim stands for ‘Smart Lander for Investigating Moon’. With the landing of the 2.40 by 1.70 meter probe on Earth’s satellite on January 20, Japan became the fifth moon-landing country on Earth. Two previous Japanese moon missions in 2022 and April 2023 failed.
However, the probe had landed on its side, so the solar panels were facing west instead of upwards as planned. As a result, the device receives little sun and therefore little power. Nevertheless, Slim managed to transmit the first images of the moon’s surface to Earth. (jam/sda/afp)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
