Japan's SLIM lander has powered up again after a two-week lunar night, the space agency said, AFP reported.
Last month, the unmanned Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) landed at an odd angle, causing its solar panels to face the wrong way.
When the angle of the sun changed, it turned on for two days and made scientific observations of the crater with a highly specialized camera, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said.
As darkness fell, the craft went back to sleep, and because it was "not designed for the harsh lunar nights," JAXA wasn't sure if it would wake up.
"Yesterday, we sent a command to which SLIM responded. SLIM was able to survive a night on the surface of the Moon while retaining its communications function!" JAXA said in X.
The message said communications were "interrupted after a short time as it was still lunar noon and the temperature of the communications equipment was very high."
But he added: "Preparations are currently being made to resume work when the temperature of the instruments has cooled sufficiently."
SLIM, nicknamed the "Lunar Sniper" for its precision landing technology, touched down at its target landing zone on January 20.
The achievement is a victory for Japan's space program after a string of recent setbacks and makes the country only the fifth to achieve a soft landing on the moon, after the United States, the Soviet Union, China, and India. /BGNES
