SLIM: The Space Interferometer (SLIM) Mission Restarted and Its First Images of the Moon’s Gravitational Field

The JAXA said on Monday it was able to reestablish communications with the probe and has resumed its mission, taking pictures of the Moon’s surface.

The lander’s charge-up was probably due to the sunlight changing direction and beaming onto the lander’s solar cells, which enabled them to start generating power, says McDowell. SLIM’s comeback demonstrates its technological resilience. The systems are robust so they can wake up again if they get some sunlight.

Shortly after it woke up, SLIM’s multi-band spectral camera – its only scientific instrument – captured a an image of a rock-strewn field. The SLIM team named some of the rocks after dogs and one after a famous Japanese breed. The camera will scan the lunar surface for traces of a mineral called olivine, which could aid efforts to unravel the Moon’s origins.

The agency said it had named a rock “Toy Poodle” after looking at initial images, in a photos posted on social media. The probe is analyzing six rocks, all of which have been given the names of dog breeds.

The bumpy landing of the solar-panel probe SLIM in the Shioli crater: lessons for lunar exploration missions and future mission designs

SLIM is expected to have enough sun to keep operations going for several days. It is not known if the craft will work again after another cold lunar night.

The SLIM landed about 55 meters (60 yards) away from its target, in between two craters near the Shioli crater, a region covered in volcanic rock. Flat areas at 10 kilometers (6 miles) wide is what previous moon missions aim for.

The solar panels of Japan’s lunar mission were not able to see the sun because it landed the wrong way.

SLIM will continue to analyze the data gathered from the landing. “We believe that the success of the pinpoint moon landing will be utilized in future lunar exploration missions,” says JAXA’s spokesperson.

SLIM’s bumpy landing offers lessons for future missions, such as insights on how to design better propulsion systems, says McDowell. He says that landing 100 metres from its target site is an accomplishment of its own. Even if it did not come back to life, I would have rated this mission a success.

The probe lost power when it was just 50 metres above the surface, which resulted in a smooth landing. Jonathan is an astronomer at Harvard University. The two engines were unbalanced, so it started going sideways.