From left, Daichi Hirano, researcher at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Hitoshi Kuninaka, director general of the Institute for Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Shinichiro Sakai,
Japan's space agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), has achieved a significant milestone in lunar exploration with the successful landing of its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) probe on the moon's surface. The mission demonstrated the agency's advanced pinpoint landing system, although the probe appears to be upside-down.
SLIM touched down on the moon early on Saturday, making Japan the fifth country in history to reach the lunar surface. Previous lunar missions have utilized landing zones of approximately 10 kilometers wide, but SLIM aimed for a target zone of only 100 meters. This improved accuracy allows scientists to access more areas of the moon as the probes can be placed closer to obstacles.
During the descent, one of the lander's main engines lost thrust, causing a slightly harder landing than initially planned. Autonomous probes released by SLIM prior to landing sent back images of the box-shaped vehicle lying on the moon's surface, albeit upside-down. Despite this setback, JAXA reassures that this milestone heralds a successful demonstration of the agency's ability to land precisely.
Shinichiro Sakai, the Project Manager for Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) speaks as he hold a scale model of SLIM during a press conference on updates on the status of its spacecraft, including whether it successfully made a "pinpoint landing" on the Moon Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, in Tokyo. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) officials announced Thursday that the spacecraft which landed Saturday, landed only about 55 meters (60 yards) away from its target set in between two craters near the Shioli crater, a region covered in volcanic rock. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)From left, Daichi Hirano, researcher at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Hitoshi Kuninaka, director general of the Institute for Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Shinichiro Sakai, the Project Manager for Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), and Masatsugu Otsuki, Associate Professor of Institute of Space and Astronautical Science of JAXA, bow with an image taken by Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2) from the moon as background during a press conference Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, in Tokyo. JAXA officials announced Thursday that the spacecraft which landed Saturday, landed only about 55 meters (60 yards) away from its target set in between two craters near the Shioli crater, a region covered in volcanic rock. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)Shinichiro Sakai, the Project Manager for Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) speaks during a press conference on updates on the status of its spacecraft, including whether it successfully made a "pinpoint landing" on the Moon Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, in Tokyo. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) officials announced Thursday that the spacecraft which landed Saturday, landed only about 55 meters (60 yards) away from its target set in between two craters near the Shioli crater, a region covered in volcanic rock. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)From left, Daichi Hirano, researcher at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Hitoshi Kuninaka, director general of the Institute for Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Shinichiro Sakai, the Project Manager for Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), and Masatsugu Otsuki, Associate Professor of Institute of Space and Astronautical Science of JAXA, prepare to pose for photographers with an image taken by Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2) from the moon as background during a press conference Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, in Tokyo. JAXA officials announced Thursday that the spacecraft which landed Saturday, landed only about 55 meters (60 yards) away from its target set in between two craters near the Shioli crater, a region covered in volcanic rock. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)Journalists watch an image taken by Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2) from the moon during a press conference on updates on the status of its spacecraft, including whether it successfully made a "pinpoint landing" on the Moon Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, in Tokyo. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) officials announced Thursday that the spacecraft which landed Saturday, landed only about 55 meters (60 yards) away from its target set in between two craters near the Shioli crater, a region covered in volcanic rock. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)This image provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/Takara Tomy/Sony Group Corporation/Doshisha University shows an image taken by a Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2) of a robotic moon rover called Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, on the moon. (JAXA/Takara Tomy/Sony Group Corporation/Doshisha University via AP)
After analyzing the data, JAXA determined that the spacecraft landed about 55 meters away from its target, between two craters in a region covered in volcanic rock near the Shioli crater. However, due to the mishap during landing, the solar panels of the probe are facing the wrong direction, rendering it unable to generate power. Nevertheless, there is still hope that the probe will be able to recharge once the moon enters its daytime in the coming days.
JAXA Project Manager Shinichiro Sakai expressed his excitement upon seeing the images sent back by the probe, stating that they matched his expectations and computer renderings. Sakai described the achievement of the pinpoint landing as a 'perfect score,' affirming that it demonstrates their ability to land precisely where they want to and marks the opening of a new era.
The mission involved two autonomous probes known as LEV-1 and LEV-2. LEV-1, a hopping robot equipped with an antenna and a camera, recorded SLIM's landing and transmitted images back to Earth. LEV-2, also called Sora-Q, is a baseball-sized rover designed with two cameras developed by JAXA in collaboration with Sony, toymaker Tomy Co., and Doshisha University. Both probes independently frame and select images, using LEV-1's antenna to transmit them back to the base. Despite the rush, the probes managed to capture and transmit 275 images.
Japan now joins the United States, the Soviet Union, China, and India as one of the few countries to successfully land on the moon. This achievement is the culmination of two decades of work on precision technology by JAXA. Previously, the agency achieved difficult landings with its Hayabusa2 spacecraft, which successfully touched down twice on the asteroid Ryugu, collecting samples that were later returned to Earth.
SLIM, also dubbed 'the Moon Sniper,' was specifically designed to gather clues about the moon's origin and analyze minerals using a special camera. The probe was launched on a Mitsubishi Heavy H2A rocket in September, orbiting Earth before entering lunar orbit on December 25.
This successful lunar landing mission represents a significant step forward for Japan's space technology and ambitions. It comes after a series of failures, including a lunar landing attempt by a Japanese company's spacecraft in April and the debut launch failure of a new flagship rocket in March. With this achievement, Japan hopes to regain confidence in its space capabilities and pave the way for further scientific discoveries and exploration beyond our planet's atmosphere.
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