If the lander remained intact, Japan became only the Fifth country to succeed in the trick.
of Japan the space administration's Jaxa lander Slim appears to have landed on the surface of the Moon, Jaxa says, according to news agency AFP. The space administration is now trying to get in touch with the lander to make sure it got there intact.
“It seems that Slim has landed on the surface of the Moon. We are checking its status”, Jaxa representative Shin Thorium said in a live broadcast following the lander's journey. Jaxa will later hold a press conference.
If Slim has landed successfully, Japan will become the Fifth country to land a lander intact on the surface of the moon.
The United States, the Soviet Union, China and last August also India have succeeded in the same trick.
Japan's previous attempt in April failed when the M1 lander crashed into the lunar surface.
Slim lander is designed to land with unprecedented precision. Its landing area is only 100 meters in diameter, while usually probes can only land with an accuracy of a few kilometers.
According to experts, a successful landing would be a significant step forward in spaceflight.
“Such sniper-like landing accuracy is a huge leap in technology. It enables much more precise research targets for future flights,” said the astrophysics teacher Emily Brunsden From the University of York for the news agency AFP.
A successful landing would also be an important restoration of honor for Japan's space sector, known for its high technology, after the failures of the past few years.
Lander on board is a mini ATV, which is only slightly larger than a tennis ball and weighs as much as a large potato.
Slim tries to reach a crater on the surface of the Moon, which is believed to be an entrance to the Moon's mantle. The plan is to collect rock samples from there, which would tell, for example, about the Moon's possible water resources. They are in a central position when it is planned to build permanent bases on the Moon in the future.
Japan's lunar program is part of a wider interest in the Moon that has rekindled half a century after the last manned hearing. The United States plans to send a man to the surface of the Moon again in the next few years, but the country's space administration, Nasa, recently postponed the next flights of its Artemis program due to technical challenges.
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