Japan's First Lunar Module Enters Moon's Transfer Orbit - Space Agency
16:19 GMT 02.10.2023 (Updated: 16:26 GMT 02.10.2023)
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Japan's first lunar module, the Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon (SLIM), has successfully entered the lunar transfer orbit and is heading toward the Moon, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced on Monday.
The lunar module was launched on September 7.
"The SLIM transitioned into the Lunar transfer orbit to head towards the Moon after successfully changing orbit at 2:40 am on October 1, 2023 (JST) [17:40 GMT, Saturday]," the space agency stated.
The module is currently operating normally, JAXA added.
The lunar module is expected to orbit the Moon for 3-4 months after the launch and to land on its surface 4-6 months later. SLIM carries two vehicles: LEV1, which is expected to take pictures of the Moon's surface, and LEV2, which is an extremely small lunar rover that is expected to scan the lunar orbit. SLIM itself will be engaged in astronomical observations.
If the module lands successfully and completes its tasks, the mission's data will be transferred to NASA to assist in planning the US Artemis-1 lunar mission. Japan would also become the fifth country to land a module on the Moon.
The lunar module was launched on September 7 from the Tanegashima Space Center on the H-IIA launch vehicle. It was also the space agency's first launch since the failure of the new H3 rocket in March. The launch was initially scheduled for August 26, but was postponed twice due to weather conditions.
