The SLIM lander continues to take photos of the moon’s surface.
JAXA
Somehow, Japan’s Smart Lunar Survey Lander (SLIM) survived three lunar nights. This is an amazing feat. The moon’s nights are so cold that the spacecraft’s batteries and electronics fail, so a lunar lander can typically survive one day on the moon, or about two weeks on Earth.
The lunar lander is built to withstand the moon’s nighttime temperatures, which can drop to -133°C (-208°F). SLIM is no exception. There are no heaters or special insulation designed to keep the spacecraft’s electronics warm.
The original plan was for the lunar night to mark the end of the lander’s mission, so no one expected to wake up again when night fell less than two weeks after SLIM’s January 19 landing. I wasn’t expecting it. But on February 25, the sun rose over SLIM’s resting place near the moon’s south pole, lighting it up again.
Alarmed, the SLIM operations crew on Earth began instructing the lander to image and measure its surroundings until the next lunar night, when the mission would truly end. In late March, the sun rose again and the lander powered on and began transmitting data to Earth.
By all standards, the mission was a shocking success, even after a difficult landing left the spacecraft tilted. But yet another surprise awaited – three nights later on April 23, SLIM was revived again.
X’s SLIM official account Posted“SLIM maintained its primary functionality even after a three-night stay, which was not envisioned at the time of its design.” New photos of the lunar surface accompanying that post show that the lander once again understands the moon. It also shows that they are working hard to collect data that will not only help them do this, but also help them create a spacecraft that can withstand moonlit nights.
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