Japan Moon mission: All eyes on JAXA with 'pinpoint' landing just a day away
Moon
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) is just a day away from its historic 'Moon Sniper' landing on the lunar surface. The Japanese space agency is using pinpoint technology for its landing and all eyes are on it after recent string of failures of other lunar missions. Japan is hoping for the success of its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission. If the mission succeeds, Japan will be the fifth nation to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, a very tricky affair to start with.
Before this, only the United States, Russia, China and India have been successful.
Soft landing on the Moon may be tricky but the Japanese space agency has taken efforts for success of its mission. The spacecraft is equipped with a rolling robot which lends unprecedented precision to the landing attempt.
When will JAXA land on the Moon?
The descent of the SLIM craft will begin its descent is slated to start on midnight on Saturday (8:30 pm IST on Friday). If all goes well, the touchdown will take place 20 minutes after that.
What's different about JAXA Moon landing?
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Unlike other missions, which target a large area of the lunar surface, JAXA is targetting 100 metres. This is far less than the usual targets of several kilometres in previous missions.
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JAXA is keen to taste success after two failed lunar missions and a recent rocket failures including explosions after lift-off.
SLIM is aiming to land in crater on the Moon where the Moon's Mantle is estimated to be accessible from its surface. Mantle is th deep inner layer beneath the crust of the lunar surface.
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"The rocks exposed here are crucial in the search for the origins of the Moon and the Earth," Tomokatsu Morota, an associate professor at the University of Tokyo specialising in lunar and planetary exploration, told AFP.
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Japan is not new to pinpoint landings. It has achieved the feat on an asteroid. But doing so on lunar surface presents greater challenges due to relatively strong gravity of the Moon.
(With inputs from agencies)