After nearly a year in space and eight months on the Moon, Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) has officially ceased operations, concluding a remarkable but challenging mission.
Japan’s SLIM spacecraft, launched with great anticipation, has concluded its lunar mission under dramatic circumstances. Despite its precision landing on the Moon’s surface, the lander encountered an unexpected problem: it tilted significantly, almost burying its front into the lunar soil rather than standing upright.
This tilt drastically reduced the solar energy absorbed by its panels, forcing SLIM to rely almost entirely on its battery power. Even so, the spacecraft managed to fulfill its scientific objectives and surpassed its initial mission goals over the following months.
As lunar night fell, SLIM was put into a dormant mode, with few expecting it to survive. The lander was not designed to withstand the extreme cold of lunar nights, which plunge below -130 degrees Celsius and last at least two weeks. Miraculously, as the Sun’s angle shifted, SLIM appeared to “come back to life” and continued its scientific observations of the landing site’s crater using its high-resolution camera.
The lander also managed to respond to signals from JAXA engineers, indicating that its communication systems remained functional despite the harsh lunar night.
International experts marveled at Japan’s achievement, noting SLIM’s extraordinary resilience on the Moon despite facing nearly insurmountable challenges.
Unfortunately, due to its limited equipment and technology, SLIM was unable to continue operations beyond the third lunar night. JAXA’s last communication with SLIM occurred on April 28. Over the past four months, numerous efforts were made to reestablish contact, but all attempts were unsuccessful.
In a status update, JAXA expressed profound gratitude to everyone involved in developing and operating SLIM, as well as to all who followed the mission. A comprehensive report detailing SLIM’s scientific contributions and autonomous robotic achievements will be released by JAXA in the near future.
