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In about 30 minutes, the probe – dubbed the “moon sniper” for its accuracy – will begin its descent. It aims to make a “soft” and safe landing within the next hour.
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If successful, the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) will make Japan the fifth country to touch down safely on the lunar surface. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) hopes pinpoint technology will put the lightweight craft down less than 100 metres from a predetermined target on the moon’s surface – a dramatic improvement on previous missions, in which the landing zones measured several kilometres.
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Jaxa officials say the moon sniper is a “technology demonstrator” that will provide vital information for future crewed missions, and the eventual establishment of moon bases. Slim also carries instruments that will aim to “unravel the origins of the Moon” by analysing lunar rocks, Jaxa says.
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Oliver Holmes here. I’ve be your guide today as Japan seeks to move the human race another step closer to building a permanent presence on our nearest neighbour, only 380,000 km (239,000 miles) away.
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important events
Shin Toriumi of Japan's space agency JAXA says the lunar module's descent phase, which occurs after about 30 minutes, is known internally as the “20 minutes of terror.”
Above, you can see there is a live video feed from the Japanese space agency leading up to the landing.
The event was hosted by Shin Toriumi of JAXA Space Science Institute, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Opening overview
Oliver Holmes
A Japanese spacecraft is heading to the moon on a mission to prove that it can land on the lunar surface with high precision.
Within about 30 minutes, the probe, nicknamed “Moon Sniper” for its precision, will begin its descent. It aims to make a “soft” and safe landing within the next hour.
If the Smart Lunar Survey Lander (SLIM) is successful, Japan will become the fifth country to safely land on the moon. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) hopes pinpoint technology will allow the lightweight spacecraft to descend within 100 meters of a predetermined target on the lunar surface. This is a dramatic improvement over previous missions, where the landing zone was several kilometers long.
JAXA officials say the lunar sniper is a “technology demonstrator” that will provide critical information for future manned missions and, ultimately, the establishment of a lunar base. According to JAXA, Slim is also carrying equipment aimed at “unraveling the origin of the moon” by analyzing lunar rocks.
Oliver Holmes is here. Today, I am your guide as Japan moves humanity one step closer to establishing a permanent presence in its closest neighbor, just 380,000 km (239,000 miles) away. .
