Japan has officially called off its ambitious Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission, ending an operation that successfully made Japan only the fifth nation to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface. Nicknamed the “Moon Sniper” for its remarkable landing precision, SLIM had touched down on the Moon eight months ago in January. However, after enduring several frigid lunar nights, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has confirmed that it is no longer able to communicate with the lander.
In a statement posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), JAXA explained that despite repeated attempts to re-establish contact with SLIM following the last communication attempt, the spacecraft remained unresponsive. “We judged that there was no prospect of restoring communication with SLIM, and at around 22:40 (1340 GMT) on August 23, we sent a command to stop the SLIM activity,” JAXA announced. This decision comes nearly a year after the mission was launched, a period during which the lander exceeded expectations by continuing to transmit valuable data much longer than initially anticipated.
The SLIM mission achieved a significant milestone for Japan with its successful touchdown on the lunar surface in January. However, the lander’s solar panels ended up facing the wrong direction due to the angle at which it landed, complicating its ability to sustain power. Although SLIM was not designed to survive the extreme conditions of the Moon’s lengthy nights—where temperatures plummet to minus 133 degrees Celsius—it managed to power up unexpectedly in April and continued to carry out scientific observations for a short period.
During its mission, SLIM transmitted data about its status and the lunar environment, providing insights that surpassed the mission’s original expectations. It also conducted observations of a lunar crater with a high-spec camera, aiming to study a part of the Moon’s mantle—an area deep beneath the crust—believed to be accessible at the crater where it landed.
The SLIM spacecraft was equipped with two probes: one with a transmitter and a mini-rover designed to move across the lunar surface like a turtle, capturing images and sending them back to Earth. Despite the mission’s ultimate conclusion, the data and observations collected by SLIM have contributed valuable information to our understanding of the Moon.
JAXA’s decision to halt the mission marks the end of a noteworthy chapter in Japan’s space exploration efforts. While the mission didn’t go entirely as planned, SLIM’s achievements have demonstrated Japan’s growing capabilities in space exploration and lunar science.