<
https://theconversation.com/japan-is-now-the-5th-country-to-land-on-the-moon-the-technology-used-will-lend-itself-to-future-lunar-missions-221570>
"Japan landed its Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon, or SLIM, craft on
the surface of the Moon on Jan. 20, 2024. Despite a power issue with the
lander, the event holds both political and technical importance. It’s Japan’s
first lunar landing – making it only the fifth country in the world to
successfully land on the Moon. This is a significant achievement and solidifies
Japan’s position as a leader in space technology.
While the craft landed successfully on the lunar surface and deployed its
rovers, SLIM’s solar cells were not functioning properly – meaning that the
craft could likely only operate for a few hours.
I’m a scholar of international affairs who studies space. Like NASA and other
space agencies, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, wants to
advance research and technology by demonstrating new techniques and collecting
scientific data. The landing is also a part of something bigger – a growing
global interest in lunar activity."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
