Japan set to launch its moon mission. Here's how it is different from India's Chandrayaan-3

After Chandrayaan-3’s successful landing on the moon, all eyes are now on Japan’s moon mission, slated to be launched on August 27. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is gearing up for the launch of their ambitious moon mission, called Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission.

According to media reports, the lander is scheduled to launch as a "ride-share" payload with the XRISM mission on an H2A booster from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at 9:30 am JST (6:00 am IST). The XRISM stands for X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission and is a collaborative mission of JAXA and NASA.

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The main objective of Japan’s moon mission is to demonstrate accurate lunar landing techniques, which will help make challenging landing areas more accessible.

Japan’s moon mission: What is it all about, how is it different from Chandrayaan-3?

Japan’s moon mission, SLIM, also known as Moon Sniper SLIM Project will lift off from JAXA Tanegashima Space Center on August 27 at 3:15 am UTC, as per JAXA’s official website.

【お知らせ】🚀✨ XRISMと #SLIM 、2機同時打上げ

打上げ日が変更となり、新たに8月27日に決定しました。打上げライブ番組は8月27日の朝9時からスタート予定です。ぜひライブで、興奮の瞬間を体感しましょう！https://t.co/tKTmEpGKpm#JAXA #ライブ番組 #XRISM_QA pic.twitter.com/2owOgU8OKh — XRISM (@XRISM_jp) August 24, 2023

The mission is different from India’s Chandrayaan-3 but will help future moon missions like Chandrayaan.

SLIM is a small-scale exploration lander designed for pinpoint landings on the moon’s surface, reduction in the size and weight of equipment used in moon landings, and investigation into the moon’s origins. It will also test technology fundamental to exploration in low-gravity environments, an important requirement for future scientific investigation of the solar system.

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SLIM mission objectives:

1. Demonstration of the accurate lunar landing techniques embodied in a small explorer

2. Acceleration of the study of the moon and other planets using the lighter exploration system

Why Japan’s moon mission is important for space exploration?

If Japan’s moon mission is able to achieve its objectives, it can help humans make a quantitative shift towards being able to land where we want and not just where it is easy to land. By achieving this, it will become possible to land on planets even more resource-scarce than the moon.

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Furthermore, JAXA also said that this mission will help in solar science exploration that demands a high level of navigation accuracy and precision landing.

SLIM's spacecraft consists of a landing radar for navigation or any obstacle detection. It also includes a multiband camera and laser retro-reflector array which will conduct specific tasks for safe landing.

(With inputs from agencies)

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