Japan's space agency announced on Monday that the country's first moon lander has responded to a signal from Earth, indicating that it has successfully endured a second freezing weeks-long lunar night. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) described the signal, received late Sunday night, as a 'miracle' due to the probe not being originally designed to withstand the extreme conditions of the lunar night, where temperatures can plummet to as low as minus 170 degrees Celsius (minus 274 degrees Fahrenheit).
The moon lander, known as Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), achieved a precise touchdown on January 20, marking Japan as the fifth nation to land a probe on the moon. However, upon landing, the probe found itself inverted, rendering its solar panels unable to receive sunlight and forcing it to power down shortly after landing.
After eight days, SLIM was able to regain power as it came into contact with the sun. During this time, the lander collected valuable geological data from moon rocks before entering hibernation in late January to endure another lunar night.
JAXA explained that the communication on Sunday was brief as it was still 'lunar midday,' causing SLIM to experience high temperatures of around 100 degrees Celsius (212 Fahrenheit). The agency is now preparing to re-establish contact once the lander has cooled down.
Scientists are eagerly anticipating the analysis of moon rock mineral compositions to uncover insights into the moon's origins and potentially compare them with Earth's mineral compositions.
