Japan’s space agency said early Saturday that its spacecraft was on the moon, but was still “checking its status.” More details will be given at a press conference, officials said.
The Intelligent Lander to Investigate the Moon, or SLIM, descended on the moon’s surface around 12:20 a.m. Tokyo time Saturday (1520 GMT Friday).
No astronauts were on board the spacecraft.
If SLIM successfully lands, Japan will become the fifth country to achieve the feat after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India.
As the spacecraft descended, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency mission control said that everything was going as planned and later said that SLIM was on the moon’s surface.
But there is no mention of whether the landing was successful.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) declared that its probe had landed on the moon but they were still confirming communications. AP Japan is trying to revive its space program. JAXA HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Japan wants to play a bigger role in space. JAPAN AEROSPACE EXPLORATION AGENCY (JAXA)/AFP via Getty Images
Mission control kept repeating that it was “checking its status” and that more information would be provided at a press conference. It is unclear when the press conference will begin.
SLIM, nicknamed the “Moon Sniper,” began its descent at midnight Saturday, and within 15 minutes it descended to about 10 kilometers (six miles) above the moon’s surface, according to the space agency, known as JAXA.
At an altitude of five kilometers (three miles), the lander is in vertical descent mode, then at 50 meters (165 feet) above the surface, SLIM should make parallel movements to find a safe landing spot, JAXA said.
JAXA has faced several obstacles including the failure of a rocket launch in March 2023. AP Japan is the fifth country to achieve a moonshot. JAPAN AEROSPACE EXPLORATION AGENCY (JAXA)/AFP via Getty Images Crowds celebrate the probe’s landing. Reuters
About half an hour after the supposed landing, JAXA said that it was still checking the status of the lander.
SLIM, which aims to reach very small targets, is a lightweight spacecraft about the size of a passenger vehicle. It uses “precision landing” technology that promises far greater control than any previous lunar landing.
While most previous probes have used landing zones about 10 kilometers (six miles) wide, SLIM aims at targets just 100 meters (330 feet) wide.
The probe has “vision-based navigation” which means it matches the camera to its surroundings with existing satellite photos of the moon. AP A staff member shows a life-size model of a palm-sized Lunar Cruiser 2. AP
The project is the result of two decades of work on precision technology by JAXA.
The main goal of the mission is to test new landing technologies that will allow lunar missions to land “where we want, not where it’s easy to land,” JAXA said. If the landing is successful, the spacecraft will look for clues about the moon’s origins, including analyzing minerals with special cameras.
SLIM, equipped with an impact pad for cushioning, aims to land near the Shioli crater, near an area covered in volcanic rock. The closely watched mission comes just 10 days after a lunar mission by a private US company failed when the spacecraft expanded. fuel leak hours after launch.
SLIM was launched on a Mitsubishi Heavy H2A rocket in September. It initially orbited Earth and entered lunar orbit on Dec. 25.
Japan hopes the success will help regain confidence in space technology after several failures. A spacecraft designed by a Japanese company crashed during a lunar landing attempt in April, and a new flagship rocket failed its maiden launch in March.
A staff member shows a palm-sized life-size model of the Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2) at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Sagamihara Campus, in Sagamihara near Tokyo. AP
AXA has a track record with hard landings. Its Hayabusa2 spacecraft, launched in 2014, landed twice on the 900-meter (3,000-foot) asteroid Ryugu, collecting samples that were returned to Earth.
Experts say a successful SLIM precision landing, especially on the moon, will raise Japan’s profile in the global space technology race.
Takeshi Tsuchiya, professor of aeronautics at the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, said it was important to confirm the accuracy of landings in targeted areas for future lunar exploration.
“It is necessary to show the world that Japan has the appropriate technology to be able to correctly assert Japan’s position in the development of the moon,” he said. The moon is important from a resource exploration perspective, and it can also be used as a base to go to other planets, such as Mars, he said.
SLIM carries two small autonomous probes — the LEV-1 and LEV-2 lunar rovers, which will be ejected shortly before landing.
LEV-1, equipped with antennas and cameras, was tasked with filming the SLIM landing. LEV-2, is a ball-shaped rover equipped with two cameras, developed by JAXA together with Sony, toy maker Tomy and Doshisha University.
JAXA will broadcast a live broadcast of the landing, while space enthusiasts will gather to watch the historic moment on a big screen at the agency’s Sagamihara campus in southwest Tokyo.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
