Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission has officially ended. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced the decision after failing to re-establish communication with the lander.
Key Points:
- Successful Landing: SLIM achieved a highly precise landing on the Moon in January 2024, demonstrating advanced autonomous landing technology.
- Unexpected Survival: Despite being designed for a single lunar day, the lander defied expectations by surviving multiple frigid lunar nights.
- Communication Loss: The last contact with SLIM was in late April. Despite numerous attempts, JAXA was unable to re-establish communication.
- Scientific Achievements: While the mission is over, SLIM's data and insights will continue to contribute to our understanding of the Moon's surface and geology.
For more details, you can refer to these articles:
- Space.com:
- IFLScience:
- The Register: