The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced on the 25th that the small lunar probe SLIM, which was launched in September this year, successfully entered orbit around the moon that afternoon.According to the plan, SLIM will attempt to land on the lunar surface on January 20, 2024. If the landing is successful, Japan will be the fifth country to successfully send a probe to the moon, after the Soviet Union, the United States, China and India.
SLIM will use its spectroscopic camera to analyze the composition of rocks from the lunar mantle to explore the origin of the moon.
Since the beginning of this year, Japan’s space program has suffered setbacks one after another. In March, Japan's new-generation main carrier rocket H3, whose launch was delayed several times due to technical failures and weather reasons, finally ignited and took off. However, the second-stage rocket failed to ignite and was forced to self-destruct in mid-air. In April, the lunar probe of the Japanese start-up "i Space Company" lost contact during its landing. In July, the engine of Japan's new rocket "Epsilon S" exploded during a combustion test.