SLIM’s not lifeless but. The SLIM spacecraft, Japan’s first-ever profitable moon lander, has survived the lengthy, chilly lunar night time for the second time.Mission staff members introduced the information through X on Wednesday (March 27), in a publish that additionally featured a photograph newly snapped by the lander’s navigation digital camera. Associated: Japan’s SLIM moon lander photographed on the lunar floor — on its nostril (picture)SLIM, whose title is brief for “Sensible Lander for Investigating Moon,” launched final September and landed on Jan. 19, making Japan simply the fifth nation to tug off a comfortable lunar landing. (The opposite 4 are the Soviet Union, the USA, China and India.)The solar-powered SLIM landed on its nostril that day, a less-than-optimal orientation for harvesting daylight. The 440-pound (200 kilograms) probe went darkish shortly thereafter however then awakened on Jan. 28 and started gathering knowledge. The mission staff put SLIM into hibernation just a few days later forward of the two-week-long lunar night time, throughout which floor temperatures at its locale dropped to round minus 208 levels Fahrenheit (minus 130 levels Celsius). Breaking house information, the newest updates on rocket launches, skywatching occasions and extra!SLIM had already achieved its main mission targets — making a precision landing, deploying two tiny rovers and conducting quite a lot of science work — by that time and was not anticipated to open its eyes once more. However the probe did so, waking up late final month.Final night time, we acquired a response from #SLIM, confirming that the spacecraft made it by way of the lunar night time for the second time! For the reason that solar was nonetheless excessive and the gear was nonetheless scorching, we solely took some pictures of the same old surroundings with the navigation digital camera. #GoodAfterMoon pic.twitter.com/5BjIr7vxMGMarch 28, 2024See moreSLIM now has a second revival below its belt, although the intense situations are starting to take their toll on the plucky little robotic.”In response to the acquired knowledge, some temperature sensors and unused battery cells are beginning to malfunction, however the majority of features that survived the primary lunar night time was mantained even after the second lunar night time!” mission staff members mentioned in one other X publish on Wednesday night time.SLIM’s January landing was adopted a month later by that of Odysseus, which was constructed and operated by Houston-based firm Intuitive Machines. Odysseus’ lunar landing was the primary ever by a non-public spacecraft and the primary for an American automobile since Apollo 17 in 1972. Odysseus operated for per week on the lunar floor, then went silent forward of its first lunar night time. And that silence is endlessly; Intuitive Machines introduced earlier this week that Odysseus’ mission is over.