Japan's Moon lander wakes up after power issue

Image source, Jaxa

Image caption, Jaxa has become the fifth national space agency to land on the Moon (picture is created by an artist)

Japan's Moon lander has woken up after being shut down for a week because of a power issue.

The news was confirmed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) which said it had managed to make contact with the lander on Sunday night.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Slim) touched down on the Moon's surface on 20 January, but had to power down shortly after to save its battery.

This is because the lander is charged by solar power - light from the Sun - and unfortunately the way it landed meant it was just out of reach of the Sun's rays.

A week later, and a change in lighting conditions has now meant that the lander has been able to catch some rays, and has recharged enough to make contact with the team on Earth.

Video caption, A basketball sized probe will take pictures of the lunar landing

Slim successfully released two tiny robotic probes to investigate the Moon's surface when it landed.

One is the size of a basketball and was designed to roll across the ground taking pictures of the spacecraft.

The other probe is a similar size to a microwave and travels by hopping about like a frog.

Japan has now become the fifth country to have achieved a 'soft touchdown' on the Moon, after the US, the former Soviet Union, China and India.