Lunar night puts Japanese lander back to sleep

After a brief awakening, Japan’s Moon lander is out of action again but will resume its mission if it survives the two-week lunar night, the country’s space agency said Thursday.

The unmanned Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down last month at a wonky angle that left its solar panels facing the wrong way.

As the sun’s angle shifted, it came back to life for two days this week and carried out scientific observations of a crater with its high-spec camera.