Japan claimed its stake among space powers on Friday with the successful landing of its SLIM spacecraft on the moon’s surface.
The SLIM lander, launched in September, touched down on the moon at approximately 10:20 a.m. Eastern time, as confirmed by telemetry from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Engineers immediately assessed the spacecraft’s condition post-landing.
This accomplishment places Japan as the fifth country to successfully land on the moon, following in the footsteps of Russia (Soviet Union), the United States, China, and India, the latest addition to the list with its Chandrayaan 3 mission last year.
SLIM, which stands for “Smart Lander for Investigating Moon,” is a cargo investigation mission that carries various scientific payloads, including an analytical camera and a pair of lunar rovers.
Both governments and private companies have made over 50 attempts to land on the moon, with mixed success. Despite continued efforts since the 1960s, the track record for moon landings remains uncertain, as evidenced by recent unsuccessful attempts by Japanese company iSpace and U.S. company Astrobotic.
Additional lunar landing efforts are underway by US companies Intuitive Machines and Firefly, while China plans to launch another lunar lander in May this year.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
