The Sun Sets on SLIM – What Next?
After a troubled journey to the lunar surface and subsequent recovery, the sun has set on JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) at 1:57 PM, February 1st, Japan Standard Time. Officially, SLIM has entered a dormant period, and the intent to attempt continued operations once the sun begins shining on SLIM’s solar cells again has been declared on the official page of the SLIM mission on the site formerly known as Twitter. Details on the precise nature of the difficulties faced during landing and the fruits of its limited operation on the lunar surface have been disclosed in the time since Space Scout’s last report on the mission. While the mission is in its dormant period and the chances of the mission continuing remain unclear, SLIM’s mission has accomplished its goals, and has wide reaching implications for JAXA’s future ambitions at the Moon and beyond.
Published by Space Scout on 02/13/2024
