Two lunar landers have fallen over – but they’re still doing okay

Both of the landers currently on the moon have ended up on their sides, but they still seem to be working surprisingly well.

The Smart Lander for Lunar Exploration (SLIM) launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) landed on the moon on January 19, marking a milestone as Japan’s first lunar lander. American company Intuitive Machines landed the Odysseus spacecraft (nicknamed Odie) on the moon on February 22, becoming the first private company to successfully launch a spacecraft to the moon.

Odysseus’ solar panels have continued to function since landing, despite being on its side. However, the antenna that is supposed to be pointed towards Earth to transmit the data is not facing the correct direction, slowing down the flow of information. Odysseus is acquiring data and slowly transmitting images back to Earth, but its solar panels will soon be immersed in the frigid darkness of the moonlit night.

“As the sun sets on Odi, the batteries will try to keep the vehicle warm, but it will eventually get frigid,” mission director Tim Crane said at a Feb. 23 press conference. “Of course, the next time the sun shines on the solar array, we’ll point the dish toward the moon to see if our radios, batteries, and flight computers can survive that frigid temperature.” According to Odysseus in February The company plans to stop sending messages on the 27th. Post to X From Intuitive Machines.

Although the two landers are both near the moon’s south pole, they are far enough from each other that their days start and end at different times. When the sun sets on Odysseus, it is still noon when SLIM is settled.

However, because the SLIM was also tilted to the side during landing, the SLIM’s solar panels were unable to collect any sunlight, and a few hours after landing, operators shut it down to conserve battery life. The hope was that if the solar panels lit up as the sun moved across the sky, they might turn on again. This happened nine days later, but lasted only a few days before the lander entered the lunar night. Temperatures dropped to -133°C (-208°F), far too cold for the spacecraft to continue functioning.

However, it seems to have survived even in the extreme cold. February 25th, X’s official SLIM account Posted It is said that a signal was received from the lander. However, it also said, “As it was still midday on the moon, the temperature of the communication equipment was extremely high, and communications were interrupted after a short period of time.”

As daylight begins to set on the SLIM lander, operators will attempt to establish communications again. If this goes well, the Odysseus lander may be able to survive a lunar night. Several other landing attempts have failed this year, and that hope is much needed. A total of 10 missions are planned to the moon’s south pole this year, and his Artemis III mission in two years’ time aims to return astronauts to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.