Space News , Japan :- Japan is gearing up for a historic lunar mission as its robotic SLIM spacecraft aims for the country's maiden successful moon landing on January 19. The mission, formally named "Smart Lander for Investigating Moon" (SLIM), is set to commence its touchdown operations at 10 a.m. EST on Friday, with a gentle landing anticipated 20 minutes later, provided all goes as planned.
The live coverage of this landmark event will be available on Space.com, courtesy of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), or directly through JAXA's channels. The coverage is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. EST.
SLIM embarked on its journey atop a Japanese H-2A rocket on September 6 of the previous year. Sharing its launch with an X-ray space telescope named XRISM, SLIM navigated a lengthy and energy-efficient route to reach the moon. XRISM was successfully deployed into low Earth orbit after launch, delivering its initial test images post a triumphant checkout period.
Following its arrival in orbit around the moon on Christmas Day, SLIM spent three weeks preparing for its impending landing. The ambitious objective is for SLIM to touch down within 330 feet (100 meters) of a predetermined spot on the rim of the moon's Shioli Crater. This mission aims to showcase the technological prowess required for precise lunar touchdowns.
The nonprofit Planetary Society emphasized SLIM's mission architecture, expressing the aspiration to redefine the standards of lunar landing missions, moving from convenient landing sites to precise, targeted touchdowns.
Achieving success in this endeavor would propel Japan into an exclusive group of nations that have accomplished soft landings on the moon. To date, only four countries—the Soviet Union, the United States, China, and India—have achieved this remarkable feat.
Notably, SLIM is not Japan's inaugural attempt at a lunar landing. The OMOTENASHI lander, part of NASA's unmanned Artemis 1 mission in November 2022, aimed for the moon but did not reach its destination. In April of the same year, the Hakuto-R spacecraft, developed by Tokyo-based company ispace, encountered a crash during its landing attempt due to complications arising from the moon's rugged topography.
This lunar mission is unfolding against the backdrop of recent setbacks in lunar exploration, including a failed attempt by Astrobotic's Peregrine lander. The American lander experienced a fuel leak shortly after its January 8 launch, leading to the cancellation of a planned mid-February landing. Despite the fuel leak, Peregrine managed to reach lunar distance before redirecting back toward Earth, with an anticipated collision over the South Pacific on January 18.
——— End of Article ———
