Japan Launches Lunar Exploration Spacecraft in Bid to Land on Moon

Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) aims to become the fifth country to successfully land on the lunar surface.

Introduction: In a bid to join the elite group of nations that have successfully landed on the moon, Japan launched its lunar exploration spacecraft, the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), on Thursday. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the spacecraft aboard a homegrown H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. With a mission budget of $100 million, SLIM aims to achieve a high-accuracy landing on the lunar surface by early next year. This latest attempt follows two earlier failed lunar landing attempts by Japan, making the success of SLIM crucial for the country's space exploration ambitions.

The Quest for High-Accuracy Lunar Landing

SLIM, dubbed the "moon sniper," has set an ambitious goal to land within 100 meters of its target site on the lunar surface. The mission's primary objective is to prove the capability of high-accuracy landing, aiming to "land where we want" on the moon rather than "landing where we can," as stated by JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa. The spacecraft will take a long, fuel-efficient approach trajectory before commencing the landing process, which is expected to begin in February.

Overcoming Previous Setbacks

Japan's previous attempts at lunar landing faced setbacks, with two missions failing in the past year. JAXA lost contact with the OMOTENASHI lander in November, and the Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander, developed by Japanese startup ispace, crashed in April. These failures have only increased the stakes for the success of SLIM. The spacecraft's mission is to touch down on the near side of the moon near Mare Nectaris, a lunar sea visible as a dark spot from Earth. SLIM will test advanced optical and image processing technology and analyze the composition of olivine rocks in search of clues about the moon's origin.

Japan's Space Exploration Ambitions

The launch of SLIM comes just two weeks after India successfully landed its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the moon, becoming the fourth nation to achieve this feat. Russia's Luna-25 lander, however, crashed during its approach to the moon around the same time. Japan's space exploration ambitions extend beyond lunar missions. JAXA plans a joint Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX) with the Indian Space Research Organisation, and Japan aims to send an astronaut to the moon's surface as part of NASA's Artemis program in the latter half of the 2020s.

A Multi-Purpose Launch

In addition to SLIM, the H-IIA rocket also carried the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) satellite, a joint project of JAXA, NASA, and the European Space Agency. The satellite's objective is to observe plasma winds in the universe, which scientists believe are crucial for understanding the evolution of stars and galaxies. The successful deployment of XRISM's solar panels was confirmed by ground stations in Hawaii and Japan shortly after the launch. Conclusion: Japan's launch of the SLIM spacecraft marks a significant step in the country's pursuit of lunar exploration and its ambition to become the fifth nation to successfully land on the moon. With the mission's primary objective of achieving high-accuracy landing, SLIM aims to prove Japan's capability to land precisely where intended on the lunar surface. The success of SLIM is crucial for Japan's space exploration aspirations and will contribute to the broader scientific understanding of the moon's composition and origin. As Japan continues to collaborate with international partners and plan future missions, the country's space activities are poised to make significant contributions to the exploration of our celestial neighbor.