On September 7, Japan achieved a significant milestone in its lunar exploration efforts by launching a spacecraft designed to land on the moon early next year, Reuters reported. The mission, conducted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), aims to position Japan as the fifth country in the world to successfully land on the moon.
The spacecraft, named the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), was launched aboard a domestically developed H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. Despite facing unfavorable weather conditions that led to three postponements in the previous month, the launch proceeded as planned.
The mission, often referred to as the "moon sniper," has set an ambitious objective of landing SLIM within 100 meters of its designated target site on the lunar surface. The estimated cost of the mission is approximately $100 mn, and the landing is scheduled to occur by February, following a long and fuel-efficient approach trajectory.
High-Accuracy Landing
JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa emphasized that the primary goal of SLIM is to demonstrate high-accuracy lunar landing capabilities. He stated that the mission aims to achieve "landing where we want" on the lunar surface, rather than simply "landing where we can." This precision landing capability is critical for future lunar exploration and potential resource utilization efforts.
Comparison to Recent Lunar Missions
Japan's launch comes just two weeks after India successfully became the fourth nation to land a spacecraft on the moon as part of its Chandrayaan-3 mission. During the same period, Russia's Luna-25 lander experienced a crash while approaching the moon.
It is worth noting that Japan had previously encountered difficulties in its lunar landing attempts. JAXA lost contact with the OMOTENASHI lander and had to abort a landing attempt in November. Additionally, the Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander, developed by Japanese startup ispace, crashed in April as it attempted to descend to the lunar surface.
SLIM's Scientific Goals
SLIM is set to touchdown on the near side of the moon, near Mare Nectaris, a lunar sea that is visible as a dark spot from Earth. Its primary scientific goal is to test advanced optical and image processing technology. After landing, the spacecraft will analyze the composition of olivine rocks near the landing site in search of clues about the moon's origin. It is important to note that SLIM does not carry a lunar rover.
In addition to SLIM, the H-IIA rocket carried the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) satellite, a collaborative project involving JAXA, NASA, and the European Space Agency. The XRISM satellite is designed to observe plasma winds in the universe, which are considered crucial for understanding the evolution of stars and galaxies.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries manufactured the H-IIA rocket and operated the launch. This marked the 47th successful launch of an H-IIA rocket by Japan since 2001, achieving a success rate close to 98%.
Challenges and Future Goals
Japan's space missions have faced recent setbacks, including the failure of the Epsilon small rocket launch in October 2022 and an engine explosion during a test in July. Nevertheless, the country remains committed to advancing its space exploration endeavors and aims to send an astronaut to the moon's surface in the latter half of the 2020s as part of NASA's Artemis program.
Japan's successful launch of the SLIM spacecraft represents a significant step forward in its lunar exploration ambitions, with a strong focus on precision landing and scientific research on the moon's surface.
Earlier Daryo reported that India has concluded its remarkable two-week lunar mission by shutting down its moon rover, Pragyan, which was a component of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. During its mission, the rover carried out a range of experiments, achieving the notable distinction of being the first craft to reach the lunar south pole successfully.
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