JAXA, Japan’s space agency has successfully soft landed “Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM)” on lunar surface. This makes Japan fifth country to have lunar soft-landing capability, after the US, the Soviet Union, China and India.
The mission aims to aims to achieve a small scale, light weight probe system and pinpoint landing technology, in addition to contributing to future lunar probes.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has confirmed that the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) successfully landed on the moon surface on January 20, 2024, at 0:20 am (JST). Communication with spacecraft has been established after the landing.
However, the solar cells are currently not generating power, and priority is given to data acquisition from the SLIM on the moon. Detailed analysis of the acquired data will be conducted in the future, and we will continue to share any updates on the situation.
SLIM is a small-scale exploration lander designed for pinpoint landings on the Moon’s surface, reduction in the size and weight of equipment used in Moon landings, and investigation into the Moon’s origins. It will also test technology fundamental to exploration in low-gravity environments, an important requirement for future scientific investigation of the solar system.
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