The SLIM probe will reach the Moon’s orbit in 3-4 months and land inside a 300-meter-wide crater.
Japan’s H-2A rocket carrying the SLIM lunar landing station and the XRISM space telescope took off from the Tanegashima Space Center at 6:42 on September 6, more than 10 days later than originally scheduled due to weather issues, according to Space.
Both spacecraft were deployed on schedule within less than an hour after liftoff. If all goes according to plan, SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) will attempt a gentle landing on the Moon in a few months, opening the way for more ambitious missions. According to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), SLIM aims to test a super-light reconnaissance system on a small scale and use precision landing technology necessary for future lunar exploration missions.
SLIM is a small spacecraft, measuring 2.4 meters tall, 2.7 meters long, and 1.7 meters wide. When launched, it weighs 700 kilograms, with fuel accounting for about 70% of its weight. SLIM will follow a fuel-efficient trajectory, reaching the Moon’s orbit in 3-4 months. The spacecraft will observe the Moon’s surface for a month before landing inside the Shioli Crater, a 300-meter-wide impact crater located at 13 degrees south latitude, where it will test precise landing technology.
“By creating the SLIM landing station, we can land at the desired location rather than the easiest one to reach. With this technology, humans can set foot on planets even scarcer in resources than the Moon,” JAXA said.
SLIM also carries two mini-probes, which will be released on the Moon’s surface after landing. These mini-probes will assist the mission controllers in monitoring the status of the larger landing station, capturing images of the landing area, and providing a direct communication system with Earth.
Previously, the Hakuto-R lunar lander from the private company Hakuto-R in Tokyo approached the Moon’s orbit but crashed into the surface during landing in April last year. Therefore, the success of SLIM will be a historic milestone. To date, only four countries have sent lunar probes to the Moon: the Soviet Union, the United States, China, and India. India achieved its goal last month when the Chandrayaan-3 mission landed near the Moon’s south pole.
In addition to SLIM, the rocket also carried the XRISM spacecraft (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission), a collaborative project between JAXA, NASA, and the European Space Agency (ESA), operating in low Earth orbit. This telescope will study high-energy X-rays in space. The observatory will focus on extremely hot gas around galaxy clusters. JAXA designed XRISM to detect high-energy X-rays from the hot gas, allowing astronomers to measure the total mass of galaxy systems, revealing information about the formation and evolution of the universe.
(Reference: Space)