'SLIM' Achieves Japan's First Moon Landing

Japan opens a new path to the lunar surface

TOKYO, Jan 20 (News On Japan) - Japan's lunar exploration spacecraft "SLIM" has achieved a historic feat by successfully landing on the Moon early Saturday morning.

The "SLIM" spacecraft began its descent to the Moon from lunar orbit around 12:00 AM today, successfully landing on the lunar surface approximately 20 minutes later, as announced by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

This successful landing represents a first for Japan, a significant achievement in the field of space exploration.

JAXA President Mr. Hiroshi Yamakawa expressed his excitement: "First of all, the fact that we have landed is a starting point. From here, we aim to further develop our country's technology, opening the way to access the Moon's surface."

However, there are concerns that the batteries may run out within a few hours due to the solar cells not generating power.

Priority is being given to the reception and acquisition of data from the landing, and analysis is underway to determine if the spacecraft achieved its targeted landing within a 100-meter margin of error.

by Brian Dentry

Source: ANN

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