JAPAN: Japan’s space agency says its “lunar sniper” has landed on the lunar surface. It is now the fifth country to send a spacecraft to the moon.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced Friday that its Intelligent Lunar Investigation Lander (SLIM) landed on the lunar surface, but the spacecraft was not generating solar power.
SLIM, also known as the “moon sniper”, was attempting an unprecedented “precision” landing – within 100 meters (about 330 feet) of its target, compared to the usual accuracy of several kilometers.
Officials said they still need to analyze the exact accuracy of the landing
Solar cells “do not produce energy”
“Communication has been established since landing,” JAXA said, but added that “the solar cells do not generate power.”
According to the agency, rovers were launched and data was being transmitted back to Earth.
“SLIM is now running on its battery only, and we are prioritizing transmitting its data to Earth,” said Hitoshi Kuninaka, head of the JAXA Space Laboratory.
SLIM, equipped with a shock-absorbing pad, landed near Shioli Crater, close to an area covered by volcanic rock. The probe was launched in early September.
The 20-minute descent began at 1500 GMT/UTC on Friday. The powered descent from its 15 kilometers (about 9.3 miles) included a short ascent phase before falling close to the Moon. This was followed by a fully vertical descent of 7 kilometers. During the descent, the ship scanned the potential landing site for rocks and boulders that might threaten a smooth landing.
Japan became only the fifth country to achieve a soft landing, following the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India.
What’s so special about landing?
JAXA said the craft’s landing technology could allow lunar missions to land “where we want, rather than where it’s easy to land.” SLIM could be a powerful tool for future exploration of the hilly poles of the Moon. These areas are a potential source of the resources necessary to sustain life – water, oxygen and possibly fuel.
It will take up to a month to verify that SLIM has hit the high-precision targets, JAXA said.
Several Japanese attempts to land on the moon have failed, including last year when it sent a probe called Omotenashi as part of the US Artemis program.
