People raise their hands after a successful moon landing by the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, in a public viewing event in Sagamihara, south of Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 20, 2024.
Kim Kyung-hoon | Reuters
Japan staked its claim as a national space power on Friday, as its SLIM spacecraft successfully landed on the lunar surface.
The country’s SLIM lander launched in September and touched down on the lunar surface around 10:20 a.m. ET, based on telemetry readings by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA.
JAXA’s president, Hiroshi Yamakawa, confirmed that the soft landing was successful, and the spacecraft was capable of send signals after its descent. Nevertheless, the solar panel capabilities gave the impression to be impaired upon landing, leaving the spacecraft reliant on battery power.
“I think this was a greater step forward,” said Hitoshi Kuninaka, director general of JAXA.
The feat makes Japan the fifth country to land on the moon, following Russia — then the Soviet Union — the U.S., China and India. Last 12 months, India joined the list of moon landings with its Chandrayaan-3 mission.
Japan’s SLIM, which stands for Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, is a cargo research mission. It carries quite a lot of scientific payloads, including an evaluation camera and a pair of lunar rovers.
An artist’s rendition of the SLIM lunar lander on the moon’s surface.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Governments and personal firms alike have made greater than 50 attempts to land on the moon with mixed success for the reason that first attempts within the early Sixties, a track record that has remained shaky even in the trendy era.
Last 12 months, Japanese company ispace made its first try and land on the moon, however the spacecraft crashed in the ultimate moments. Earlier this month, U.S. company Astrobotic got its first moon mission off the bottom but encountered problems shortly after launch. The flight was cut short and didn’t make a lunar landing attempt.
More attempts are on the best way, with U.S. firms Intuitive Machines and Firefly preparing to fly moon landers this 12 months, while China plans to launch one other lunar lander in May.
The SLIM lunar lander before launch.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
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