Japan poised to make giant leap in its space endeavours, to launch 'moon sniper' on Sept 7

Japan is poised to make a significant leap in its space endeavors by launching a low-cost lunar mission known as the "Moon Sniper" on Thursday (September 7). The $100-million mission is set to reach the moon by February, following a fuel-efficient trajectory from Earth to lunar orbits. The precision landing technology developed through this mission holds the potential to enhance future human space exploration missions and could extend to cost-effective reusable launch vehicle endeavors, said Sreeram Ananthasayanam, a partner at Deloitte India, reported Reuters.

If successful,Japan will become the fifth country to land a spacecraft on the surface of moon.

This comes after Japan's launch of an H-IIA rocket, scheduled for August 28, was postponed due to unfavourable wind conditions in the upper atmosphere. Japan is seeking to successfully complete its lunar exploration mission. This also comes in the backdrop of India's recent achievement of becoming the first nation to successfully land on the moon's south pole.

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The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission is scheduled to take off the lunar from the Tanegashima Space Centre in southern Japan. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries builds the H-IIA rocket carrying the lunar lander, reported Reuters news agency.

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Known as the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), it is aptly nicknamed the "moon sniper" by JAXA. It is slated to land on the moon's near side, close to the Mare Nectaris, a prominent lunar basin.

The primary mission objective is to showcase Japan's ability to position a lightweight, cost-effective spacecraft within 100 meters of a designated landing site using advanced visual navigation technology.

Challenges of landing

Kenji Kushiki, the sub-project manager of the SLIM mission, anticipates a tense 20 minutes during the landing, describing it as a "one-shot game that cannot be undone."

This mission also serves as a showcase for Japan's burgeoning space industry. Mitsubishi Electric played a significant role in assembling the lander, providing landing radars, computers, and a transponder. Sharp Corp supplied solar cells, while Meisei Electric contributed navigation cameras.

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Chandrayaan-3 and lunar landing attempts

India's Chandrayaan-3 rover lander recently touched down near the moon's south pole in a $75 million mission, making India the fourth country to achieve a lunar landing, following the United States, Russia, and China.

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Japan is collaborating with the United States on a moon-orbiting space station, which will serve as a pivotal platform for lunar and Martian missions.

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