Japanese SLIM module will land on the Moon on January 20

According to information published by the TV channel NHK, the Japanese research module SLIM plans to land on the Moon around January 20, 2024. Before this, the device will be launched into orbit of the Earth’s natural satellite at the end of December, after which specialists from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will conduct a series of checks and adjustments to its course before starting its descent to the surface. The approximate landing time will be 20 minutes from the start of the descent.

JAXA initially planned for the lunar landing to take place in the first half of February 2024. The SLIM module, 2.4 meters high and weighing 200 kg, is designed to study the craters and topography of the Moon using technologies similar to those used in facial recognition systems. The device is equipped with a special camera that allows you to measure the content of iron and other elements in the soil.

The Japanese module is capable of landing at a specific location on the Moon with an error of no more than 100 meters. The data obtained by the device will be used as part of the Artemis lunar program of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). If successful, Japan will become the fifth country in the world that managed to land a module on the surface of the Earth’s natural satellite, after the Soviet Union, the USA, China and India.