The Japanese space agency suffered a setback with its Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon, also known as SLIM, when the lander failed to respond to a signal sent Monday evening.
The resilient lunar lander has defied the odds by surviving several long, cold lunar nights that typically doom other landers. However, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has indicated this SLIM’s official X account that the harsh and unforgiving conditions could “finally show their effects.”
SLIM’s journey has been one of remarkable tenacity. During the landing on January 20, one of the two engine nozzles fell off and it landed upside down, with most of the solar cells facing away from the sun.
