The SLIM lander from Japan’s space agency, JAXA, was able to power back on over a week after landing on the moon’s surface. However, it has now gone dormant for the duration of the lunar night, and there is uncertainty about whether it will be able to be reactivated. The lander captured its final image at the moon’s Shioli crater before nightfall, as the lunar night can last two Earth weeks and reach temperatures colder than -200 degrees Fahrenheit. The team sent a command to turn on SLIM’s communicator again, but received no response, confirming that it had entered a dormant state. The team has stated that the lander will remain dormant for at least the duration of the lunar night, and its chances of resuming operations afterward are not promising. However, they plan to attempt to operate it again from mid-February when sunlight will once again reach SLIM’s solar cells. If the last image captured by SLIM becomes its final photo, it is certainly an eerie one.
