Japan's space agency says it has reestablished communication with its moon probe, confirming that the spacecraft made it through the cold lunar night for the third time.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said communication was restored on Tuesday night and the probe also transmitted images of the moon.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, landed on the moon in January, making Japan the fifth country to achieve the feat.

It is the third time since March that SLIM has endured the lunar night, when the temperature plunges to about minus 170 degrees Celsius. It was not designed to do so. SLIM entered a dormant state again from last month.

JAXA says some onboard devices were experiencing problems and it was worried whether they could be activated again.

It says the function of the main devices has been maintained, enabling the probe to capture images of the moon surface and transmit data.

The space agency says it plans to investigate how lunar days and nights can degrade the probe's body and devices.