The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced that the lunar module, launched in September and with which it intends to make the country’s first landing on the Moon, has successfully entered lunar orbit.
The SLIM module “successfully entered lunar orbit on December 25, 2023 at 4:51 p.m.” (7:51 a.m. Monday in Lisbon), JAXA announced in a statement.
“The orbit change was carried out according to the prescribed plan and the spacecraft is in normal condition,” he added.
In mid-January, the spacecraft should begin the necessary adaptations to land on the surface of the Moon, which, if everything goes according to plan, should occur between January 20 and 21.
This SLIM module, launched on September 7 together with the galactic research satellite , after several failures.
The lander will attempt to land on the lunar surface near Shioli Crater, near the lunar equator, in an attempt to make “the most precise landing” to date, JAXA said at the time of the launch.
The device will capture images for use in the Artemis lunar exploration project, which aims to facilitate man’s return to the Moon and, ultimately, the exploration of Mars.
If successful, Japan will be the fifth country to land a vehicle on the Moon, after the former Soviet Union, the United States, Canada and India.
Source: TSF
