Japan intends to become the fifth country to land a spacecraft on the moon when it makes a precision touchdown on Friday, a boost for a space programme that has endured a series of disappointments and been eclipsed by competitor China.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) probe, nicknamed the ‘moon sniper’, is seeking to land within 100 metres (328 feet) of its target, a technology JAXA claims is unprecedented and critical in the quest for moon water and human habitability.
Japan is rapidly looking to expand its position in space, working with close ally Washington to counter China’s military and technological strength, especially in space. Japan has several private-sector space businesses and plans to send an astronaut to the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis mission.
However, JAXA has suffered numerous setbacks, including the March launch failure of their new flagship rocket H3.
JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon (SLIM) probe will begin a 20-minute touchdown phase on its one-way mission at midnight on Saturday (1500 GMT Friday), attempting to land on a target site roughly the size of two athletic tracks on the slope of a crater just south of the lunar equator.
Shinichiro Sakai, JAXA’s SLIM project manager, stated, “No other nation has achieved this. Proving Japan has this technology would bring us a huge advantage in upcoming international missions like Artemis”.
In August, India’s Chandrayaan-3 achieved a historic touchdown on the moon’s south pole, a tremendous technological feat given the harsh terrain, showcasing the country’s climb to prominence in space.
JAXA emphasizes that its high-precision technology will be a valuable tool in future exploration of the hilly moon poles, which are viewed as possible sources of oxygen, fuel, and water. Japan also intends to conduct cooperative unmanned lunar polar exploration with India in 2025.
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