Probing deep space: Journeys into darkness
Japan has landed a lunar explorer on the moon for the first time
© Reuters
LIFESTYLE Breaking news
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has confirmed that their robotic explorer touched down on the surface of the moon, marking what may be the country's first successful moon landing. It landed on January 20 at 12:20 a.m. Japan Standard Time. The uncrewed explorer, nicknamed "Moon Sniper," is a small-scale spacecraft known as a Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (or SLIM for short). The Moon Sniper was named for its precision landing technology, which should allow it to pinpoint a much more specific landing zone than any other spacecraft in history. In the past, lunar missions could only vaguely aim for a zone that stretched several miles, whereas the Moon Sniper could target a smaller landing strip of 100 meters (328 feet). The mission objective is to examine rocks around the landing site that may offer greater insights into the origins of the moon.
In the hours following the landing, the space agency revealed that it had landed, but they would need time to analyze the data from the explorer to confirm whether or not it was successful in its precision landing. They were also working to resolve some issues with the craft, revealing that it was failing to generate solar power and was operating on a limited battery supply. It may be a month before they can confirm whether or not the Moon Sniper truly achieved a soft landing, meaning it landed without significant damage and will be able to complete its objective. If this is the case, Japan will make history as the fifth country to successfully land on the moon.
Regardless, the mission has marked Japan as a serious new contender in the modern space race. The Soviet Union, the US, and China all put crewed or uncrewed spacecraft on the moon in the latter half of the 20th century, and India became the fourth country to join the club in 2023.
For a brief history of space exploration since the 1960s, browse this gallery and lift off on a journey out of this world.
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