2023-04-25 14:16:56
A robotic ship is preparing to try to descend on the lunar surface around 12:40 pm (Puerto Rico time) on Tuesday, and the area has been captured from the Island through a telescope.
This is HAKUTO-R, a Japanese ship from the ispace company, which is made up of a 7.5-foot (2.3-meter) high descent module, and which also has two robotic carts on board.
“Although in a rocket we can reach the Moon in just three days, it is necessary to make various adjustments to the orbit of the ship to gradually get closer to our natural satellite, since it requires great planning, maneuvers and eventually reducing the speed of the ship to try to land successfully on the lunar surface”, explained the Caribbean Astronomy Society (SAC).
The HAKUTO-R ship was launched from Florida, USA on December 11, 2022 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, and as a technology demonstration ship, it has been orbiting the Moon in preparation for the attempt to land on the lunar surface. It revolves around the Moon in an elliptical or oval orbit that brings it to within about 62 miles (100 km) of the lunar surface.
In the event of a successful landing on the Moon, the two small rovers would be deployed; one from Japan, and another named “Rashid” from the United Arab Emirates. Both have cameras to study the lunar surface. If achieved, it would be the first successful lunar landing by a private spacecraft, and would make Japan the fourth nation to land a spacecraft on the Moon, after the United States, the Soviet Union, and China.
One of the possible places for the descent attempt is near the Atlas crater, in “Mare Frigoris”, located in the northern region of our natural satellite. The area appears marked in images obtained from Aguadilla by Efraín Morales, one of the SAC astrophotographers. If necessary, the descent attempt could be postponed, and if so, another area of the Moon may be selected for the feat.
It was indicated that there will be a coverage live from 11:00 a.m.
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