Japan launches lunar exploration mission
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Japan launched its lunar exploration mission and sent the H2A rocket into space. The rocket carries the spacecraft that will land on the Moon.
The H2A rocket carrying the “SLIM” lunar lander of the Japan Space Exploration Agency (JAXA) was launched into space. The H2A rocket was sent into space at 08.42 local time from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Kagoshima in the southwest.
The rocket carries the XRISM X-ray astronomical satellite and "SLIM', which aims to test precision landing technologies on the lunar surface.
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SLIM, manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric, is 2.4 meters high, 2.7 meters wide, and weighs 700 kilograms. The lander is expected to enter the Moon's orbit in 3 to 4 months and reach the lunar surface in 4 to 6 months.
The observations and data on the Moon to be obtained by Japan will be used in the US-led "Artemis" project.
Source: Anadolu Agency
