The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is gearing up to send the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, mission to the moon on an H-2A rocket on Aug. 26 Japan time (0034 GMT, 9:34 a.m. JST, or 8:34 p.m. EDT on Aug. 25).
SLIM is, as its acronym suggests, a small-scale moon mission, but it has bigger ambitions in mind. The main aim of the lander — which is 7.9 feet (2.4 meters) high, 8.8 feet (2.7 m) wide and 5.6 feet (1.7 m) deep — is to demonstrate accurate lunar landing techniques, which will help make more challenging landing areas more accessible.
