2024-01-19 11:44:00
Japan seeks its first successful landing of a module on the Moon Infobae America World
The Japanese aerospace agency (JAXA) is preparing for the landing of a lunar module on the surface of the Earth’s natural satellite, the most precise to date and which, if completed successfully, would make Japan the fifth country in the world to achieve this feat.
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More than four months after its launch, the SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) module is scheduled to begin a 20-minute countdown around midnight tonight. Friday to Saturday for their moon landing.
JAXA has confirmed that everything was going correctly and that the device carried out without incident on the 14th the apoluna positioning maneuver (the orbit point furthest from the surface of the Moon) necessary for the descent.
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Since then, the module has been maneuvering to position itself at the periluna point (the closest to the lunar surface), about 15 kilometers high, in preparation for landing.
SLIM, launched on September 7, 2023, represents a new attempt by Japan to make its first successful moon landing after several failures.
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The module will try to touch the lunar surface within a radius of about 100 meters of the Shioli crater, close to the lunar equator, an unprecedented precision until now, according to JAXA, which estimates that it will take a month to confirm whether these objectives are met.
The device, which does not exceed 3 meters on a side and weighs between 200 and 730 kilos depending on humidity, is designed to considerably increase the precision of landing on the Moon and reduce the size and weight of the equipment used in lunar landings.
The Japanese aerospace agency hopes that this mission will also contribute to testing crucial technology for exploration in low-gravity environments, the refinement of which is essential for future research into the Solar System.
The device will take images that will be used in the Artemis lunar exploration project, which aims to facilitate the return of humans to the Moon and, ultimately, the exploration of Mars, among other tasks.
File image of a mockup of the lander of the Japanese moon landing mission Hakuto-R Mission1 (Hakuto-R M1) is exhibited at the National Museum of Emerging Sciences and Innovation in Tokyo, Japan (EFE/EPA/FRANCK ROBICHON)
If achieved, Japan would be the fifth country to land a module on the Moon, after the former Soviet Union, the United States, Canada and India.
JAXA has managed to land devices twice on asteroids, but a lunar landing is more complex due to its low gravity.
Japan has been wanting to expand its role in the space industry worldwide for some time and to do so it has been increasing its collaboration with the American NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), among other entities.
The country has, however, suffered several setbacks in its space development program, the most significant being the failed launch of its new flagship rocket, the H3, successor to the current H-2A and which seeks to compete in terms of cost with other devices from commercial suppliers. like the American SpaceX.
Japan will undertake a second attempt to launch the new projectile on February 15 to put the DAICHI-3 earth observation satellite into orbit, intended for evaluating areas affected by natural disasters.
(With information from EFE)
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