Japan’s space agency announced on Monday that their lunar lander, the first for Japan, has successfully responded to a signal from Earth, indicating that it has endured a second frigid lunar night.

The signal received on Sunday night by JAXA was referred to as a “miracle” due to the fact that the probe was not intended to withstand the extreme temperatures of the lunar night, which can reach as low as -170 degrees Celsius (-274 degrees Fahrenheit).

On January 20th, the SLIM spacecraft, short for Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, successfully landed on the moon with precision. This accomplishment now makes Japan the fifth country to successfully land a probe on the moon.

However, the probe landed in an inverted position and its solar panels were initially unable to face the sun, resulting in its shutdown within a few hours.

On the eighth day following its arrival, SLIM regained functionality upon receiving sunlight. It spent several days gathering geological information from lunar rocks before going back into hibernation at the end of January to endure another lunar night.

JAXA stated that the communication on Sunday was brief due to it being “lunar midday” and SLIM being exposed to a temperature of approximately 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit). JAXA is currently making arrangements to resume contact once the vehicle has cooled down.

Researchers are seeking insight into the moon’s origin by analyzing the mineral compositions of moon rocks and comparing them to those of Earth.

Source: wral.com