Japan lands unmanned probe on the moon

Japan landed an unmanned probe on the lunar surface on Saturday, becoming the fifth country to soft-land on the moon.

According to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, a small-scale exploration lander designed for pinpoint landings on the Moon’s surface, began its descent from an altitude of about 15 kilometers around midnight on Saturday. It took approximately 20 minutes to land on the lunar surface by using reverse thrust to decelerate.

It has been confirmed that SLIM has accurately received signals from the Earth and is responding. Two small robots, LEV-1 and LEV-2, which were carried onboard SLIM, have also separated successfully, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, told a news conference.

Japan has become the fifth country to send a spacecraft that has successfully made a soft landing on the moon, following the former Soviet Union, the United States, China and India.

However, JAXA also revealed that SLIM is operating using its onboard battery as the solar panels are not generating power. Battery power is expected to last a few hours.

The primary mission of SLIM was to land within 100 meters of the target location. With limited power available, JAXA expressed the intention to prioritize confirming data on whether the pinpoint landing was achieved.