Since then, the SLIM lander has entered a dormant state, and it might not make it through the two-week lunar night.
The SLIM lander from Japan was able to switch back on more than a week after it had landed on the moon in an inverted position. However, it has now gone into a state of dormancy for the duration of the lunar night, and it is possible that it will not be able to wake up again. On Thursday, the SLIM team from the Japanese space agency, JAXA, revealed the final photograph that the lander acquired at the Shioli crater on the moon before nightfall, as night began to approach. It is possible for the temperature to drop to -200 degrees Fahrenheit during lunar darkness, which lasts for the equivalent of two weeks on Earth.
After completing operation from 1/30 ~ 1/31, #SLIM entered a two week dormancy period during the long lunar night 🌚. Although SLIM was not designed for the harsh lunar nights, we plan to try to operate again from mid-February, when the Sun will shine again on SLIM’s solar cells. pic.twitter.com/JO4ZgDaOxo
— 小型月着陸実証機SLIM (@SLIM_JAXA) February 1, 2024
The team has accomplished their goal of confirming that the solar-powered lander is currently in a dormant state that will continue for at least the duration of the lunar night. The likelihood of it restarting activities afterward is not particularly high; nevertheless, it has already managed to surprise us once despite this. According to a post that the team made on X, “Although SLIM was not designed for the harsh lunar nights, we plan to try to operate again beginning in the middle of February, when the Sun will shine again on SLIM’s solar cells.” This is a very eerie photograph, if it is in fact the final one that SLIM ever took.