A moon lander that had ran out of power after a suspected failed landing has miraculously started working again.
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down on the lunar surface last month, making Japan the fifth country to put a probe on the moon.
However, shortly after landing within 55m (180ft) of its target just south of the moon's equator, SLIM ran out of power.
Experts said that it ran out of power because it had tipped over and its solar panels were at the wrong angle.
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), is seen in this handout image
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), TAKARA TOMY, Sony Group, Doshisha University /via REUTERS/File Photo
The operator Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency had previously said the probe was not designed to survive a lunar night.
However, it unexpectedly survived a freezing lunar night and re-established communication with the Earth.
In a post on social media, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) wrote that communications with SLIM were "terminated after a short time, as it was still lunar midday and the temperature of the communication equipment was very high."
However, it also added: "Preparations are being made to resume operations when instrument temperatures have sufficiently cooled."
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Daichi Hirnao (L), associate senior researcher at JAXA's Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center speaking about SLIM
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SLIM, dubbed the 'Moon Sniper' for its precision landing technology, touched down within its target landing zone on January 20.
The landing was a win for Japan's space programme after a string of recent failures, making the nation only the fifth to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India.
However, during its descent, the craft suffered engine problems and ended up on its side, with the solar panels facing west instead of up.
This meant that the craft had to be powered down shortly after landing until the sun's angle shifted to where it could start gaining power.
Meanwhile, interest in space startups has spiked after Intuitive Machines became the first private firm to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon, in the first US touchdown on the lunar surface in more than half a century.
Though the Odysseus lander tipped sideways on the lunar surface, the company is likely to complete its mission and prove the capabilities of such startups.
Communications with Odysseus are expected to cease Tuesday morning, effectively ending its science mission five days after touchdown.
