Japan’s SLIM mission to the moon postponed

Japan’s “Smart Lander for Investigating Moon” (SLIM), was due to begin its ambitious lunar mission on Aug 28, but it has been postponed. It follows India’s successful Chandrayaan-3 moon mission.

Japan will launch its ambitious lunar mission days after India landed Chandrayaan-3 on the south pole.

Due of its precision and accuracy, the Moon Sniper is called the “Smart Lander for Investigating Moon” (SLIM).

Pinpoint landing, the spacecraft’s main goal, is different from typical procedures. Instead of “landing where we can,” the goal is to “land where we want” on gravitational bodies like the Moon.

The Moon’s one-sixth Earth’s gravity makes landing spaceships difficult. However, satellite and telescope technologies and high-definition images have given scientists vital insights into the moon’s structure and geography.

This knowledge is crucial for finding water, especially at the moon’s south pole. For geological feature targeting, pinpoint landing allows exact access to specified locations.

Slim has an amazing 100-meter target accuracy compared to traditional landers’ several-to-dozen-kilometer precision.

Slim, at 200 kilos dry and 2.4 by 1.7 by 2.7 meters, offers more frequent moon and planet expeditions. Radar, a laser range finder, and a navigation camera assist it measure and adjust its location while landing.

Slim’s multiband spectrum camera will study lunar rock composition after landing. The Lunar Exploration Vehicle, which includes the palm-sized egg-shaped Transformable Lunar Robot SORA-Q, will deploy.

The much-anticipated Slim launch was scheduled for Aug 28, Monday, at 9:26 am Japan time. But, Japan’s H2A rocket launch of the lunar probe SLIM was postponed due to bad weather.

After launch, it will travel three to four months before entering lunar orbit for a month. Slim will descend and arrive on the moon six months after launch. This ambitious timeline shows Japan’s commitment to space research and lunar landing precision.

The launch comes four months after Japan’s first lunar landing failed. Tokyo is preparing for another moon mission.

The “Moon Sniper,” an inventive spacecraft that promises pinpoint lunar landings, now bears the nation’s objectives.

Conclusion:-

Japan’s “Smart Lander for Investigating Moon” (SLIM), the Moon Sniper, will launch its ambitious lunar mission after India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission. The spacecraft’s main goal is “landing where we want” on gravitational bodies like the Moon. Slim, at 200 kilos dry and 2.4 by 1.7 by 2.7 meters, offers more frequent moon and planet expeditions. Radar, a laser range finder, and a navigation camera provide vision-based navigation. Slim’s multiband spectrum camera will study lunar rock composition after landing. The Lunar Exploration Vehicle, which includes SORA-Q, will deploy. The launch was scheduled for Aug 28,  Monday, at 9:26 am Japan time. But, Japan’s H2A rocket launch of the lunar probe SLIM was postponed due to bad weather.