7-9-2023 (TOKYO) Japan’s national space agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), successfully launched the H-IIA rocket carrying its moon lander on Thursday morning. This achievement comes after several postponements in the past month due to unfavorable weather conditions.
The rocket took off as planned from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan, with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries overseeing the launch. Onboard the rocket is JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) spacecraft, often referred to as the “moon sniper” due to its experimental precision landing technology.
SLIM is set to make a lunar landing early next year, marking a significant step in Japan’s space exploration efforts.
LAUNCH! Japan’s HII-A rocket launches the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) X-ray telescope and Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) lander.
Overview:https://t.co/V2ea4NJ2KQ
JAXA livestream:https://t.co/hkkYmzmvJA pic.twitter.com/k1mJogGAfc
— Chris Bergin – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) September 6, 2023
