After a week of being stuck without power, Japan's Moon lander, known as the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), has finally woken up and begun capturing images of the lunar surface. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully re-established contact with SLIM on January 28th, marking the resumption of operations.

SLIM had made a highly precise landing on the Moon's surface, landing just 55 meters away from its intended target. The precision of the landing was noted as the most accurate ever accomplished. However, during the descent, one of the lander's engines lost thrust, causing it to go sideways and ultimately resulting in the lander being tipped upside down upon landing.

The lander's solar cells, crucial for generating power, were facing away from the Sun due to its upside-down position. This left SLIM unable to operate its instruments and communication equipment effectively, forcing it to rely on battery power for almost three hours. To improve its chances of recharging, JAXA shut off SLIM's power when the battery level reached 12%, with hopes that the Sun's change in position would eventually allow for recharging.

To the delight of the SLIM team, the lander managed to charge up once the Sun's rays were finally able to reach its solar cells. The technological resilience of SLIM was evident as it powered back on and began capturing images of the lunar landscape using its multi-band camera. The team even named some of the rocks in the images after different dog breeds.

The main objective of SLIM's mission is to scan the lunar surface for olivine, a mineral that could provide insights into the Moon's origins. The successful wake-up of SLIM offers valuable lessons for future missions, particularly in designing more effective propulsion systems. Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell praised the landing as a great achievement, even if SLIM had not come back to life, stating, "I would have rated this as a super successful mission."

As SLIM continues to snap images, capturing more details about the Moon's chemical composition, its second wind also allows scientists to assess how long the lander can survive before the lunar night falls. JAXA's spokesperson expressed their belief that the success of the pinpoint Moon landing will be utilized in future lunar-exploration missions.

The SLIM team will now focus on analyzing the data collected during the mission, while SLIM continues to document the lunar surface until the end of January, when daylight on the Moon fades. Japan's successful Moon landing serves as a testament to the country's space exploration efforts and opens up new possibilities for further lunar exploration missions.

In other news, India recently celebrated as their Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully landed on the Moon, while a privately-owned US Moon lander faces the fear of mission failure. Additionally, Mars mourns the loss of the first-ever aircraft to fly on its surface, leaving behind a legacy of scientific discoveries.