- Australia police arrest 554 in domestic violence crackdown
- South Korea, Britain host AI summit with safety top of agenda
- New president Lai vows to defend Taiwan's democracy
- Forever fad: Rubik says his cube 'reminds us why we have hands'
- Trump eyes witness stand as trial draws to a close
- Ryanair annual profit jumps on higher demand, fares
- High-priced Cummins, Starc face off as IPL enters playoffs
- Iran media says President Raisi died in helicopter crash
- Dominican Republic President Abinader re-elected to 2nd term
- New Taiwan president Lai hails 'glorious' democracy
- New Caledonia separatists defy French efforts to unblock roads
- Timberwolves knock out defending champion Nuggets, Pacers oust Knicks
- Trump biopic hits Cannes Film Festival
- Iran President Raisi's helicopter found, 'no sign of life'
- Three talking points ahead of 2024 French Open
- 'Haikyu!!': Comic heroes fuel Japan Olympic volleyball manga mania
- Timberwolves rally to knock defending champion Nuggets out of NBA playoffs
- London court set to rule on Julian Assange extradition
- Business and Bollywood votes in India election
- Pope calls anti-migrant attitudes at US border 'madness'
- Mexico aims to be big economic winner from US-China tensions
- Uncertain future for thousands after deadly Brazil floods
- Schauffele makes the putt of his life for first major win
- Wirtz returns to help unbeaten Leverkusen chase history
- Search for Iran's President Raisi after helicopter goes missing
- DeChambeau's powerful putting has him excited for US Open
- Taiwan to swear in new president as China pressure grows
- Atalanta can end 61-year wait for trophy in Europa League final
- Schauffele birdies final hole to capture PGA for first major win
- Guardiola casts doubt over long-term Man City future
- Hollywood icons Costner and Demi Moore make Cannes comeback
- Pacers shoot down Knicks to reach NBA Eastern Conference finals
- Schauffele birdies final hole, captures first major at PGA Championship
- McLaughlin powers to Indy 500 pole in all-Penske front row
- Monaco footballer tapes over LGBTQ badge
- Korda wins sixth LPGA title of year with win at Liberty National
- Pacers put on shooting show to down Knicks, reach NBA Eastern Conference finals
- US envoy touts 'potential' of Israel-Saudi deal in Netanyahu talks
- Dominicans vote for president in poll overshadowed by Haiti crisis
- Brest secure Champions League qualification, PSG win without Mbappe
- Mbappe absent as PSG win final Ligue 1 game
- Still exhausted after arrest, Scheffler closes with 64 at PGA
- Brest secure historic Champions League qualification
- France's Macron calls fresh emergency on New Caledonia unrest
- Taiwan swears in new president as China pressure grows
- Schauffele leads as dramatic PGA back-nine battle begins
- Biden faces silent Gaza protest at Martin Luther King Jr's college
- Ten Hag says Man Utd 'must do everything' to win FA Cup after Premier League flop
- Cannes film follows Egypt feminists on brink of adulthood
- Pep Guardiola: Man City manager addicted to winning
Japan's Moon lander comes back to life
Japan's Moon lander has come back to life, the space agency said Monday, enabling the craft to proceed with its mission of investigating the lunar surface despite its rocky start.
The surprise announcement was a boost to Japan's space programme, nine days after the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down at a wonky angle that left its solar panels facing the wrong way.
"Last evening we succeeded in establishing communication with SLIM, and resumed operations!" JAXA said on social media platform X, posting a grainy image of a lunar rock known as "toy poodle".
"We immediately started scientific observations with MBC, and have successfully obtained first light for 10-band observation," it said, referring to the lander's multiband spectroscopic camera.
- Terrifying minutes -
SLIM's January 20 touchdown made Japan only the fifth nation to achieve a "soft landing" on the Moon after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India.
But on its descent, dubbed the "20 minutes of terror", the craft suffered engine problems and ended up at a skewed angle, images released by JAXA showed.
This meant the solar panels were facing west instead of up, and it was uncertain if they would still get enough sunlight to function.
Last week JAXA said it had switched the elevator-sized SLIM off with 12 percent power remaining, hoping that the craft would wake up this week.
A JAXA spokesman told AFP on Monday that the SLIM operation resumed "presumably because power generation resumed in its solar battery as it received sunlight".
"We will prioritise what we can do now -- observing and collecting information -- rather than adjusting SLIM's position since adjusting the position could lead to a worse situation," he said.
"The daytime (where SLIM is on the Moon) will last until around the end of January and it will be at night from around February," he said.
- Pinpoint -
Helping to repair its reputation after a number of recent mishaps, JAXA said last week that SLIM had landed 55 metres (yards) from its target.
This meant that the "Moon Sniper" lived up to its nickname and landed within the 100-metre landing zone, much more precise than the usual range of several kilometres (miles).
Before powering the craft off, mission control was able to download technical and image data from SLIM's descent and of the lunar crater where it landed.
Assuming it has enough juice, SLIM can now tackle its main mission of investigating an exposed area of the Moon's mantle, the inner layer usually deep beneath its crust.
Two probes also detached successfully, JAXA said -- one with a transmitter and another designed to trundle around the lunar surface beaming images to Earth.
- Transformers -
This shape-shifting mini-rover, slightly bigger than a tennis ball, was co-developed by the firm behind the Transformer toys.
Russia, China and other countries from South Korea to the United Arab Emirates are also trying their luck to reach the Moon.
US firm Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander began leaking fuel after takeoff this month, dooming its mission. It likely burned up in the Earth's atmosphere on its return.
NASA has also postponed plans for crewed lunar missions under its Artemis programme.
Two previous Japanese lunar missions -- one public and one private -- have failed.
In 2022, the country unsuccessfully sent a lunar probe named Omotenashi as part of the United States' Artemis 1 mission.
In April, Japanese startup ispace tried in vain to become the first private company to land on the Moon, losing communication with its craft after what it described as a "hard landing".
Y.Bouchard--BTB