Japan's SLIM spacecraft lands on moon, a first for the country

[January 20, 2024]  By Kantaro Komiya
 
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan on Saturday became the world's fifth country to put a spacecraft on the moon, as the space agency said its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) has made a soft landing on the lunar surface. 

A miniature model of the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is displayed at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s facility in Sagamihara, south of Tokyo, Japan, January 19, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has attempted the landing of the probe dubbed "moon sniper" within 100 metres (328 feet) of target. It will take up to a month to verify if SLIM has achieved the precision goals, the agency has said.

(Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

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