The Japanese probe SLIM, placed on the Moon since January, was once again put to sleep on Sunday, after having survived its second lunar night, a period marked by freezing temperatures and which lasts two Earth weeks. The Japanese space agency (Jaxa) announced last Thursday the awakening of this machine, which was then able to transmit new images.
Even though its lifespan has far exceeded expectations - the Jaxa had not designed it to withstand the terrible, long lunar night, where temperatures drop to -130°C - SLIM is starting to show more and more signs of fatigue.
“We checked his condition by successively turning on and off some of his devices
,” Jaxa explained on his X account on Monday.
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The module's multispectral camera, essential for its rock analyses, could for example be turned on,
"but there are certain malfunctions"
, according to the agency. Since its moon landing on January 20, SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) has alternated phases of activity and forced rest. The success of this mission made Japan the fifth country to successfully land on the Earth's natural satellite after the United States, the USSR, China and India.