Japan made history on Friday by becoming only the the fifth nation to land a spacecraft on the Moon. The director of the Japanese space agency, Jaxa, said the landing itself was deemed successful “as the spacecraft sent telemetry data, meaning most equipment on board was operating”.

Japan's 'Moon Sniper' achieves historic lunar landing

Japan's 'Moon Sniper' craft makes successful lunar landing

Japan aims to become the fifth country to put a spacecraft on the moon when it attempts a precision landing on Friday, in what would be a boost for a space program that has suffered a wave of setbacks and been eclipsed by rival China.

Japan's 'Moon Sniper' attempts historic lunar landing