Space
Jaxa announces end of Slim probe operations after exceeding expectations
Jaxa announced on Friday that it has terminated operations of the SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) probe, after the mission exceeded its initial goals. The probe managed to withstand the extreme temperatures of three lunar nights, demonstrating results beyond expectations.
The Japanese space agency plans to release a full report on SLIM's achievements next fall. The probe successfully performed a precision lunar landing on January 20, positioning Japan as the fifth country to land on Earth's natural satellite, after the United States, the former Soviet Union, China and India.
However, due to an engine problem during the last few meters of the descent, SLIM landed at an angle that prevented the west-facing photovoltaic cells from receiving adequate sunlight. After an initial period of inactivity of about ten days, the probe was placed into hibernation, surviving the first lunar night, and returned to hibernation in early March. The last contact with Earth occurred on April 28.
SLIM landed in a small crater called Shioli, less than 300 meters in diameter. Before being turned off, the probe managed to release two mini-rovers to explore the rocks of the Moon's internal structure (the lunar mantle), a field that is still poorly understood.
Another probe, Odysseus, sent by the private American company Intuitive Machines, also managed to land on the Moon at the end of February. However, the company announced in March the definitive termination of the mission, after failing to reactivate the probe after the lunar night. Odysseus was the probe to land furthest south on the Moon, a region of great interest due to the presence of water in the form of ice.