Image credit: JAXA/SLIM

Image taken shortly after landing, the Ultra-small SORA-QI photo of SLIM in nose-down mode. Image credit: JAXA/Inside Outer Space screengrab

It’s Alive (again!).

Last night (the night of April 23rd), control teams for Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) reported they were able to successfully communicate with SLIM. They confirmed that SLIM had survived the lunar night cycle for the third time.

“SLIM has maintained its primary functions even after three overnight stays, which was not anticipated in its design. We will continue to closely monitor SLIM’s condition and hope to identify areas that deteriorate depending on the lunar day and night environment, as well as areas that are not prone to deterioration,” a SLIM posting notes on X.

A photo of the surface of the Moon taken after the overnight awakening was taken with SLIM’s navigation camera. The Moon is bright overall and the shadows are very short.

SLIM landed on the Moon on January 19, 2024.

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