Smart Lander for Investigating Moon

Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), dubbed "Moon Sniper", was a <a href="/facts/Moon_landing/RMXHoEpg">lunar lander</a> mission of the <a href="/facts/Japan_Aerospace_Exploration_Agency/ofUpflgf">Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency</a> (JAXA). The lander's initial launch date in 2021 was postponed until 2023 due to delays in its <a href="/facts/Rideshare_(spaceflight)/AwbQMxSk">rideshare</a>, the <a href="/facts/X-Ray_Imaging_and_Spectroscopy_Mission/VhDbljxt">X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission</a> (XRISM). On 6 September 2023 at 23:42 UTC, XRISM launched, and SLIM separated from it later that day.
On 1 October 2023, SLIM executed its <a href="/facts/Trans-lunar_injection/nc16VTrG">trans-lunar orbit injection</a> burns. The lander entered <a href="/facts/Lunar_orbit/486BxvD6">lunar orbit</a> on 25 December 2023 and landed on 19 January 2024 at 15:20 UTC, making Japan the fifth <a href="/facts/Moon_landing/RMXHoEpg">country to soft-land a spacecraft on the Moon</a>. News reports of technical difficulties made it to Earth, saying that the lander's solar panels were not oriented to the Sun; however, on 29 January, the lander became operational after conditions shifted. It has survived three lunar nights, awakening again in April.
SLIM's operation on the Moon was terminated at 22:40 on August 23, 2024 (JST). SLIM, having survived three lunar nights, broke the world record for longevity among devices on the Moon that do not have an <a href="/facts/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator/Tsjjvp5h">RTG</a>.

Smart Lander for Investigating Moon open-in-new

Smart Lander for Investigating Moon