Unveiling Japan’s SLIM Moon Lander: Get to Know the Rocket, Mission, and Launch Date of the Lunar Sniper

Japan’s SLIM Moon Lander is preparing to make its mark on the lunar surface following the triumphant landing of India’s Chandrayaan-3 lander. Recently, Japan unveiled its inaugural moon mission, with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) confirming that the Moon lander will be launched aboard its H-IIA rocket.

This mission was supposed to leave in the last week of August, but due to bad weather conditions, it was postponed. The mission will now start on September 7 and the goal is to achieve a soft landing on the surface of the Moon. The launch will take place from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. The mission start time is scheduled at 5:12 AM IST. The start window is open until September 15.

The SLIM task

The name of the landing device used in the mission is SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating It is a small spacecraft weighing about 200 kg. Called the lunar sniper, SLIM is designed to perform a precise landing within a radius of 100 meters from the planned location. The location chosen for the landing is near a crater called Shioli, which falls on the Moon’s equatorial region.

The H-IIA rocket used in the mission was developed by JAXA and MHI. The record for this rocket is 45 successful launches out of 46 attempts.

In particular, the launch of H-IIA No. 47 was delayed for several months due to the failure of JAXA’s new medium-altitude H3 rocket. It was supposed to start in March.

Along with the lunar mission, JAXA also plans to launch a new X-ray telescope that will be used to spy on some of the most important points in the universe. The name of the telescope is X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM).

The success of the mission could have a major impact on Japan’s aerospace development projects. It’s exciting to see the two moons on their mission on their journey to discover the hidden secrets of the moon.