The Japanese SLIM probe, which has been on the surface of the moon since the end of January, has once again been placed in a state of hibernation awaiting its reactivation during this month, according to what the Japanese space agency JAXA reported on Saturday.
The agency reported on the “X” platform that “Salim was again placed in a state of hibernation after sunset at three in the morning on March 1,” that is, six in the evening GMT on February 29.
The probe was reactivated on February 26 after it successfully passed the two-week lunar night.
The agency added on Saturday, “Although the risk of failure increases due to large temperature changes, we will try to reactivate Slim when the light returns” during the month of March.
On January 20, “Slim” (which are the first English letters for the phrase “smart lander to explore the moon”) succeeded in landing at a distance of 55 meters from its designated target, making Japan the fifth country to succeed in placing its vehicle on the surface of the moon, after the United States. The former Soviet Union, China and India.
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