Japan Joins Lunar Race: Moon Lander Launch Set for Aug 26 Amid Exploration Wave

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is set to launch its Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon (SLIM) on August 26, 2023, just days after Chandrayaan-3’s planned soft landing. The mission’s primary objective is to demonstrate precise lunar landing techniques, which could pave the way for accessing more challenging landing zones.

It is set to launch alongside the XRISM mission, as part of a ride-share payload on an H2A booster from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at 00:34:57 UTC (6:04 am IST).

SLIM is a small, lightweight lander that measures just 2.4 meters in height, 2.7 meters in width, and 1.7 meters in depth. It is equipped with a landing radar and image-matching navigation system to help it achieve a landing within 100 meters of its target point.

The target site for the SLIM mission is Shioli Crater, a relatively fresh impact feature measuring 300 meters in diameter within Mare Nectaris. This target site is situated at 13 degrees south latitude and 25 degrees east longitude on the near side of the Moon.

The success of the SLIM mission would be a major milestone in the development of lunar exploration technologies. It could also help to pave the way for future missions that require precise landing capabilities, such as sample return missions.

In addition to JAXA, NASA is also planning a number of lunar exploration missions in the coming years. These include the Peregrine Mission 1, IM-1, Lunar Trailblazer, and Griffin Mission 1 (VIPER). These missions promise to expand our understanding of the Moon’s mysteries and pave the way for future human missions to the lunar surface.