Thermal Control System Development and Operational Results of Smart Lander for Investigating Moon SLIM

SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) is a small lunar lander developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for lunar landing demonstration. It was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center aboard the H-IIA 47 rocket on September 7, 2023. After approximately four months of Earth orbit, deep space navigation, and lunar orbit, SLIM successfully achieved the world's first pinpoint lunar landing, with an accuracy of about 10 meters, on January 19, 2024. Following the lunar landing, high-resolution multispectral observations of multiple rocks were conducted using a multi-band spectral camera. The SLIM thermal control system successfully maintained control performance within the design parameters throughout the mission period, from launch to lunar landing, without any anomalies that would affect the mission. After the lunar landing, the system experienced three overnight periods in total, during which valuable data on the SLIM spacecraft's temperature after each night were obtained. This paper reports on the thermal design results and operational results of the SLIM thermal control system.