Smart Lander for Investigating Moon
Japanese lunar lander mission / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is a lunar lander mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The lander's initial launch date in 2021[2][6] was postponed until 2023 due to delays in its rideshare, the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM).[7] On 6 September 2023 at 23:42 UTC,[lower-alpha 1][3] XRISM launched, and SLIM separated from it later that day.
Names | SLIM |
---|---|
Mission type | Lunar lander and lunar rover |
Operator | JAXA |
COSPAR ID | 2023-137D |
SATCAT no. | 57803 |
Website | Official website |
Mission duration | 7 months, 19 days (elapsed) (since launch) 3 months, 6 days (since landing) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Manufacturer | Mitsubishi Electric |
Launch mass | 590 kg (1301 lb)[1] |
Dry mass | 120 kg (265 lb)[2] |
Dimensions | 1.5 × 1.5 × 2 m (4 ft 11 in × 4 ft 11 in × 6 ft 7 in)[1] |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 6 September 2023 (2023-09-06) 23:42:11 UTC[3] |
Rocket | H-IIA 202 |
Launch site | Tanegashima Space Center |
Contractor | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
End of mission | |
Last contact | |
Lunar orbiter | |
Orbital insertion | 25 December 2023 (2023-12-25) 07:51 UTC[4] |
Lunar lander | |
Landing date | 19 January 2024 (2024-01-19) 15:20:00 UTC[4] |
Landing site | near Shioli crater 13.3160°S 25.2510°E / -13.3160; 25.2510[5] |
On 1 October 2023, SLIM executed its trans-lunar orbit injection burns. The lander entered lunar orbit on 25 December 2023 and landed on 19 January 2024 at 15:20 UTC, making Japan the fifth country to soft-land a spacecraft on the Moon. News reports of technical difficulties made it to Earth, saying that the lander's solar panels were not oriented to the Sun; however, on 29 January, the lander became operational after conditions shifted. It has survived three lunar nights, awakening once more in April.[8][9]