Japan Achieves Precision Lunar Landing, Faces Power Challenge on Moon Mission

Insider Brief:

• Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) successfully landed on the moon, marking the country’s entry into the exclusive group of nations that have achieved a successful lunar soft landing.
• Unfortunately, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) faced challenges as the spacecraft’s solar panels failed to generate power upon landing.
• The mission aimed to demonstrate a “precision” landing technology, positioning Japan as a key player in future moon exploration, particularly in the hilly moon poles that are considered potential sources of vital resources.
• Image credit: JAXA via KYODO

In a significant milestone for space exploration, Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) successfully landed on the moon, marking the country’s entry into the exclusive group of nations capable of achieving this feat.

Unfortunately, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) faced challenges as the spacecraft’s solar panels failed to generate power upon landing. Despite the solar power setback, SLIM landed on the moon’s surface with precision, utilizing a “two-step landing” method and deploying mini-probes—a hopping vehicle and a wheeled rover—developed by tech giant Sony Group, toymaker Tomy, and Japanese universities.

The mission aimed to demonstrate a “precision” landing technology, positioning Japan as a key player in future moon exploration, particularly in the hilly moon poles that are considered potential sources of vital resources. SLIM, often referred to as the “moon sniper,” targeted a landing accuracy of 100 meters, a remarkable improvement over conventional methods.

Hitoshi Kuninaka, head of JAXA’s space lab, mentioned that SLIM was operating on its battery, prioritizing data transfer to Earth. The agency will take up to a month to verify if SLIM achieved its high-precision landing goals.

This achievement places Japan in the esteemed company of the United States, the former Soviet Union, China, and India as the only nations to accomplish a soft landing on the moon. Despite setbacks and challenges, the mission represents a crucial step forward for Japan’s space program, aiming for more frequent and cost-effective missions in the future.

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