SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon)- Japan

Japan recently landed a spacecraft called SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) on the lunar surface, becoming the 5th country after the Soviet Union, the US, China and India to achieve a soft landing on the moon.

About SLIM

• SLIM was launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in September 2023 aboard the H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima spaceport.
• It aims to demonstrate precision landing within 100 metres through new technologies.
• It also carried two mini robotic rovers developed by Sony and Tomy for reconnaissance.
• The mission aims to revitalise Japan's space program which suffered setbacks like the failure of the flagship H3 rocket in March 2023.

Objectives

• The mission aims to observe X-rays coming from deep space and to identify their wavelengths with unprecedented precision.
• It will use state-of-the-art spectroscopy to measure changes in the brightness of celestial objects at different wavelengths.
• It detects X-rays with energies ranging from 400 to 12,000 electron volts. (For comparison, the energy of visible light is 2 to 3 electron volts.)
• This range will provide astrophysicists with new information about some of the universe's hottest regions, largest structures, and objects with the strongest gravity.

Future Moon Missions

• ISRO (India): LUPEX with JAXA, Chandrayaan-4
• NASA (USA): Lunar Trailblazer Mission, Viper Rover, Artemis 2-6 (Manned mission).
• ROSCOSMOS (Russia): LUNA 26-28, ORYOL
• CNSA (China): Chang'e 6-8
• JAXA (Japan): Destiny+