Japan’s spacecraft ‘Moon Sniper’ reaches the Moon
Jaspan Moon Mission: Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ has landed on the surface of the Moon. However, the Japanese Space Agency has not yet confirmed the actual situation there. According to the information, Japan’s Space Agency said in the early hours of Saturday as per local time of Japan that its spacecraft is on the Moon, but its status is still being ‘checked’. Giving this information, officials said that more details will be made available later.
…then Japan will become the fifth country
The Smart Lander for Moon Investigation, or SLIM, landed on the lunar surface at around 12.20 am local time. There were no astronauts aboard the spacecraft. If SLIM is successfully launched, Japan will become the fifth country to achieve this feat after America, Russia, China and India.
Situation unclear regarding successful landing
As the spacecraft touched down, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s mission control center said everything was according to plan and later said that SLIM was on the lunar surface. There was no mention however of whether the landing was successful or not.
Entry into the Moon’s orbit took place on December 25.
Mission Control continued to reiterate that it was ‘investigating his situation’ and that more information would be provided at a press conference. It was not immediately clear when the news conference would begin. SLIM was launched in September and entered lunar orbit on 25 December.
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