- On December 25, Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) spacecraft successfully entered lunar orbit, ahead of its planned January 19 moon landing.
- Following India’s Chandrayaan 3 mission in August, Japan will join an elite group of nations that have achieved a soft lunar landing if the mission is successful.
An Overview of SLIM
- Design and launch: SLIM, which will be launched by JAXA on September 7, 2023, is a lightweight spacecraft weighing only 590 kg, as opposed to Chandrayaan 3’s 3,900 kg.
- SLIM’s mission objectives include demonstrating precision lunar landing capabilities by landing within 100 metres of its designated site near the Shioli Crater.
Trip to the Moon
- SLIM adopted a longer, fuel-efficient approach based on weak-stability boundary theory, requiring four months to reach the moon, as opposed to Chandrayaan 3’s Hohmann transfer orbit.
- SLIM used Earth’s gravity to generate kinetic energy, eventually aligning its trajectory with the moon’s orbit for a slower approach and capture.
SLIM’s Lunar Mission Objectives
- Precision Landing: SLIM’s endeavour to land with the least amount of variation from its intended location establishes a new bar for lunar missions.
- LEV-1 and LEV-2, two miniature rovers, will be deployed by the spacecraft to research the lunar surface, temperature, radiation, and even the moon’s mantle.
The Effect on Chandrayaan 4
- Exploration of the Moon’s South Pole: Chandrayaan 4, a joint Indian-Japanese mission (LUPEX), seeks to study regions closer to the moon’s south pole, which will necessitate precision landing technologies.
- Technological Synergy: SLIM technologies and insights, notably in navigation and feature-matching algorithms, will be critical to Chandrayaan 4’s success.
The Difficulties of Exploring the Moon’s South Pole
- Rough Terrain: The polar areas of the moon, with their stony terrain, craters, and steep slopes, necessitate highly accurate landing capabilities.
- Water-Ice Exploration: Because these locations contain water ice, they are ideal candidates for future lunar expeditions for resource utilisation.
Source: https://www.wionews.com/science/japans-probe-enters-lunar-orbit-what-happens-now-674131#:~:text=Japan's%20Smart%20Lander%20for%20Investigating,probe%20on%20the%20lunar%20surface.