Japan's Moon lander makes it through another lunar night
A post on social media from the lander's X account confirmed that once more, SLIM had defied the odds and snapped a picture of the lunar surface using its navigation camera.
SLIM was revived a few weeks ago, after a second lunar night. However, with telemetry showing that some of the electronics (temperature sensors) and battery cells were malfunctioning, the chances of the lander making it through a third lunar night seemed remote.
Spacecraft designed to survive extreme cold are usually constructed with heaters to keep electronics toasty. The surface temperature on the Moon can drop below −150°C, and the temperature in some craters can get as low as −247°C.
According to SLIM's social media presence: "SLIM has maintained main functionality even after three nights on the Moon, which was not anticipated in the design!
"SLIM's condition will be monitored to clarify areas where deterioration has progressed due to the day and night environments, and where there is less susceptibility."
