Japan's space agency shared news of their SLIM moon lander's survival of the lunar night, defying initial doubts about its ability to withstand such conditions. The SLIM probe had made a historic landing on the lunar surface, marking Japan as the fifth country to achieve this feat and contributing to the global competition in lunar exploration for resources and potential human settlement.
Following a successful touch down within 55 meters of its target near the moon's equator, SLIM faced a setback when it ran out of power due to a positioning issue that caused its solar panels to be ineffective. Surprisingly, the lunar night, which caused temperatures to drop drastically, did not permanently disable the lander as initially feared. Thanks to a change in the angle of sunlight, the solar panels were able to reignite the machinery more than a week after the landing, showcasing a fortitude that was not initially anticipated by the operators. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency had previously expressed concerns about the lander's ability to function during the lunar night, but this unexpected turn of events has provided valuable insights into the spacecraft's resilience.