This leaves Slim totally reliant on its batteries and these will eventually discharge. When they do, the craft will go silent. It won’t receive commands and it won’t be able to talk to Earth.

Engineers are currently prioritising activities.

They’ve turned off heaters and are pulling down pictures from the craft. They’re also retrieving data that will tell them how well the landing software worked.

Japanese space agency (Jaxa) officials will not immediately give up on Slim if it does fall silent. It’s always possible the solar cells have somehow become oriented in a way that prevents them from seeing the Sun.

As light angles change on the Moon, it was possible Slim could come back to life, the officials said.