In an effort to explore the moon, Japan successfully launched its lunar exploration spacecraft H-IIA on Thursday, after two previous failed attempts, one private and one public. This launch helps to clear Japans path to become the worlds fifth country to land on the moon early next year.The H-IIA rocket carrying the moon lander took off from Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan as planned and successfully released the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said. Unfavourable weather led to three postponements in a week last month.“By creating the SLIM lander humans will make a qualitative shift towards being able to land where we want and not just where it is easy to land,” said JAXA, before the launch.[Press Release] Successful Launch of the X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) and the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM)https://t.co/gPzq3n3m1d— JAXA(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) (@JAXA_en) September 7, 2023Japan and its lunar lander The lunar mission of Japan has been dubbed as the Moon Sniper and it aims to land SLIM within 100 meters of its target site on the lunar surface and is expected to reach the moon by February 2024.According to JAXA, the lander will spend the first month in Earths orbit before heading to the moon through a series of orbital maneuvers over a period of three to four months before landing on the moons surface.SLIM aims to investigate how the Moon was formed by examining exposed pieces of the lunar mantleThe rocket also carries the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) which is a joint mission of JAXA, NASA, and the European Space Agency. XRISM is responsible for studying the origins of the universe XRISM will measure the composition and speed of intergalactic space.Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was responsible for manufacturing and launching the rocket H-IIA which marked the 47th H-IIA rocket Japan has launched since 2001.JAXAs earlier attemptsJapan has been quite active in its attempts to reach the moon, including its Omotenashi project to land an ultrasmall probe as part of the Artemis programme of the United States last year. Omotenashi would have been the smallest lander in the world but this project had to be given up after failing to restore communications with the spacecraft.Earlier this year Japan also faced problems with launch rockets, after the next-generation H3 model failed after liftoff in March.Last month India made history with the successful landing of its Chandrayaan-3 lander on the southern pole of the moons surface and became the fourth country to land on the moon after the US, former USSR, and China.Days before this, Russias spacecraft to the moon failed in its attempt to touchdown on its cratered surface and collided with the lunar surface.
