Japan’s space agency releases images of lunar explorer’s ‘pinpoint landing’

TOKYO — The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced on Jan. 25 that its small lunar explorer pulled off a “pinpoint landing” within 100 meters of the exact target on the moon.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, landed early on Jan. 20. JAXA also released images of SLIM taken by the small Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2, or LEV-2, robot, which detached from the lander.

According to JAXA, SLIM landed slightly south of the equator in the moon’s eastern hemisphere, on a slope in the Sea of Nectar near the approximately 300-meter-diameter Shioli Crater. The landing site was reportedly just 55 meters from the exact target. However, the landing was not perfect, as the lander’s orientation was not as planned.

(Japanese original by Yin Tanaka, Lifestyle, Science & Environment News Department)