Japanese lunar probe lands 55m from target site

Photo of the lunar probe 'SLIM' released by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). [Image source=Yonhap News]

Japan's lunar probe 'SLIM,' which became the fifth in the world to successfully land on the Moon, has been confirmed to have achieved a 'pinpoint landing,' meaning it landed within a 100m radius of its target site.

According to NHK on the 25th, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) held a press conference and stated that the probe 'SLIM' is estimated to have landed about 55m from its intended landing target.

JAXA challenged the pinpoint landing by reducing SLIM's landing site error from several kilometers to within 100m. Shinichiro Sakai, JAXA project manager and SLIM's lead, rated this landing as "a perfect score." With this achievement, Japan became the fifth country in the world to successfully land on the Moon.

Water is believed to exist partially on the Moon in the form of ice, making the technology to land at desired locations crucial. Utilizing pinpoint landing technology is advantageous for efficiently locating water resources on the lunar surface.

JAXA also released photos taken by 'Sora-Q,' a small robot separated from SLIM just before the lunar landing. In the photos, SLIM is seen standing tilted on the lunar surface. SLIM's solar panels, which need to face upward after landing to generate power, are tilted and facing west due to the probe's inclination.

JAXA reported that while SLIM was descending to the lunar surface, everything was normal until about 50m altitude, but an anomaly occurred causing one of the main engines to fail.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.