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January 21, 2024
17:15 pm
A space rocket carrying a Japanese moon probe
A space rocket carrying a Japanese moon probe
Japan has succeeded in placing a vehicle on the surface of the moon for the first time, becoming the fifth country to achieve this, according to the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
The smart lunar probe vehicle, SLIM, landed near the crater of the Shiuli volcano next to the Sea of Nectar near the equator on the near side of the moon at about 12:20 a.m. Saturday. Thus, Japan joined the four countries that succeeded in such missions.
According to JAXA, the Slim vehicle operates with limited battery power, because its solar cells do not generate electricity, noting that the vehicle entered a state of sleep hours after landing, but data was transmitted and received normally until then.
Japan attempted to carry out what it calls a precision landing using technology with a margin of error of only about 100 meters from the target location. The ultra-resolution operation included detailed data on the lunar surface topography obtained by the Kaguya lunar rover, and image-matching technology developed through missions, including one to bring asteroid samples back to Earth using the Hayabusa2 rover.
The Slim vehicle, which is 2.4 meters high and weighs about 200 kilograms, was launched aboard an H-2A rocket in September last year and was placed in an elliptical orbit around the moon on December 25. At the beginning of Saturday, the spacecraft began its final descent at an altitude of 15 kilometers and landed on the surface of the moon after about 20 minutes.
Unlike traditional landers, which descend vertically and land with four legs at the bottom of the vehicle, Slim adopted a two-step method of touching the ground in an inclined position first with its semi-spherical main leg, then falling forward to land with its front arm before settling on all legs. This method is designed to reduce the impact of subsidence. (wham)
