Japan Moon lander survives lunar night - BBC News

Space agency Jaxa said the craft re-established communication after the equivalent of two Earth weeks without Sun.

5 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, JAXAImage caption, Jaxa produced this render of Slim to show the awkward landing orientation that pointed the solar cells away from the SunBy Greg BrosnanBBC News Climate and ScienceJapan's Moon lander has survived the harsh lunar night, the sunless and freezing equivalent to two Earth weeks.

"Last night, a command was sent to #SLIM and a response received," national space agency Jaxa said on X.

The craft was put into sleep mode after an awkward landing in January left its solar panels facing the wrong way and unable to generate power.

A change in sunlight direction later allowed it to send pictures back but it shut down again as lunar night fell.

Jaxa said at the time that Slim (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) was not designed for the harsh lunar nights.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68400989

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