World07.09.2023 - 09:41

Japan successfully launched a rocket with its first lunar landing module

The H2A launch vehicle was launched from Tanegashima Space Center.

Фото: Japan Experience

Japan's aerospace agency JAXA reported the successful launch of the H2A rocket carrying the SLIM lunar module. This is the first Japanese vehicle sent to the Moon.

The rocket was launched at around 09:42 local time. Originally, the rocket with the lunar module was to be launched on August 26, but the launch had to be postponed twice due to bad weather.

The SLIM module separated from the rocket 47 minutes after launch and entered the target orbit.

The rocket also placed the XRISM X-ray telescope into Earth's orbit.

JAXA specified that the Japanese lunar module SLIM will enter the orbit of the natural satellite of the Earth in 3-4 months. Then the module will begin surveying the surface of the Moon to calculate the point of moon landing. The landing error will not exceed one hundred meters.

If successful, Japan will become the fifth country in the world to land its module on the Moon. Previously, the Soviet Union, the United States, China and India did it. The Russian lunar mission ended in failure, the Luna-25 module crashed during landing.

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