Tokyo [Japan], December 26: The SLIM space probe entered lunar orbit on December 25, an important step in Japan's efforts to successfully land on the earth's satellite, expected to take place next month.
SLIM, which stands for "Smart Lunar Investigation Lander ", is nicknamed "The Lunar Gunner" because it is designed to land within 100 meters of a specific target on the moon. Earth's satellite surface, according to AFP.
If successful, the landing will help Japan become the fifth country to successfully send a probe to the moon, after the US, Russia, China and India .
On December 25, SLIM "successfully entered lunar orbit at 16:51 Japan time," according to a statement from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
"The process of changing its orbit took place as originally planned and there was nothing unusual about the probe's condition," the statement said.
JAXA said the lander's landing on the moon is expected to take place on January 20 and according to plan, SLIM will land after 20 minutes.
In September, the H-IIA rocket was launched from the southern Japanese island of Tanegashima, carrying the SLIM landing ship, after three delays due to bad weather.
JAXA this month announced it would conduct an "unprecedented high-precision landing" on the moon.
The probe is equipped with a spherical device developed by a toy company. This device is slightly larger than a tennis ball and can change shape to move across the lunar surface.
Previous probes landed "several kilometers or more than 10 kilometers" from the target. Meanwhile, SLIM's expected error of less than 100 meters shows a level of precision once thought impossible, thanks to a 20-year effort by researchers, according to JAXA.
Shinichiro Sakai, JAXA's SLIM project manager, told reporters this month that with the advancement of technology, the need to accurately identify targets such as craters and rocks on the lunar surface is growing day by day. increasing.
"Gone are the days of just wanting to explore 'somewhere on the moon,'" he said.
According to Mr. Sakai, JAXA also hopes that SLIM's precision will make sampling the moon's permafrost layer easier, bringing scientists one step closer to uncovering the surrounding mystery. Water resources on the moon.
Japan's lunar missions have failed twice - one by the government and one by the private sector.
Last year, Japan unsuccessfully launched a lunar probe named Omotenashi as part of the US Artemis 1 mission.
In April, Japanese startup ispace attempted to become the first private company to land on the moon, but lost contact with its craft after what it described as a "hard landing". ".
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
