Recently, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced that the small unmanned lunar probe Slim has successfully entered orbit around the moon, taking a key step towards achieving a precise landing. The SLIM challenge not only represents Japan's move towards becoming the fifth country to successfully land on the moon, but also marks Asia's emergence in the field of space exploration.
Slim lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, in September last year, and after about four months of flight, successfully entered orbit around the moon. It is expected that in the early morning of January 20, 2024, Slim will challenge the precision landing, and it will take about 20 minutes to land near the sea of divine wine. The success of this mission will mark the first successful Japanese probe to the moon, following the United States, the former Soviet Union, China and India.
The Slim's precision landing ability has been described as extremely difficult, similar to an airplane flying over Hokkaido at several times speed, slowing down in an instant and successfully landing at a specific location. Shinichiro Sakai, project manager at JAXA, said that this landing method is of great value for exploring lunar resources and provides strong support for future space exploration.
In the past space exploration, Japan has attempted two missions to the moon, but both have been challenged. The Jaxa ultra-small lunar lander Omotenashi abandoned its mission in December last year due to loss of contact, while ispace's lunar module crashed in April this year after failing to slow down during landing. The success of SLIM will set a new milestone for Japan in the field of space exploration and make a positive contribution to global space science research.
However, the path of space exploration is fraught with unknowns and risks. The success of Slim remains to be determined by the precision landing mission it is about to undertake. Once Slim is able to successfully land on the surface of the moon, it will not only boost Japan's prestige in the space field, but also provide valuable data for in-depth human exploration of the moon and other celestial bodies.
Slim's success around the moon marks a new chapter in Japan's space exploration. Regardless of the outcome, this attempt will provide valuable lessons for future space exploration. It is hoped that SLIM can successfully complete the precision landing mission and make greater contributions to the cause of human space exploration.
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