Japan's space agency ends SLIM moon probe operation

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon on Jan. 20 | JAXA / SONY GROUP / TAKARA TOMY / DOSHISHA UNIVERSITY / VIA JIJI

Wires
August 26, 2024

Japan's space agency said on Monday that it had ended its moon lander operation after losing communication with the uncrewed spaceship last week.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), dubbed the "Moon Sniper" for its landing precision, touched down eight months ago, making Japan only the fifth nation to achieve a soft lunar landing.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) wrote on social media platform X that there was no response from the SLIM after trying to communicate last week following three frigid lunar nights, or six cold weeks.