Latest Attempt to Reach the Moon: Japan's New Lunar Mission

Japan is preparing for a soft landing on the Moon with its Slim mission. The goal is to land on a gentle slope near an equatorial crater called Shioli. This comes after a private American company failed to reach the lunar surface earlier this month. Landing on the Moon is a difficult task, with only about half of all attempts succeeding. However, Japan's space agency, Jaxa, is confident that the precision navigation technologies built into Slim will increase the chances of success. The lander will use rapid image processing and crater mapping to get within 100m of the targeted landing point. The descent is scheduled to begin at midnight Japan Standard Time on Saturday. If all goes well, Slim will touch down gently on the lunar surface 20 minutes later. Only the space agencies of the US, the Soviet Union, China, and India have successfully landed on the Moon. Jaxa hopes to become the fifth to achieve this milestone. The agency will provide a livestream of the descent on its YouTube channel. Although Slim is not expected to operate for long due to the lack of sunlight to generate electricity, it plans to study the rocks around the Shioli crater with a scientific camera. Additionally, two small rovers, including a hopping robot and a shape-changing ball, will explore the local terrain. The experience Jaxa gained from its two successful asteroid landings should help with the Moon mission. Other recent attempts at lunar landings, such as the one by the private Japanese company Ispace and the private American company Astrobotic, have faced significant challenges and encountered technical difficulties.