Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ makes successful pinpoint landing

Japan was successful in making an unusually precise moon landing just metres from its target, its space agency has announced.

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The country on Saturday became the fifth to put a spacecraft on the moon when its so-called “Moon Sniper” lander touched down on the lunar surface.

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On Thursday, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency [JAXA] said it had received all data about the landing of its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) probe within 2 hours and 37 minutes after the touchdown.

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The mission aimed to land within 100 metres (328 feet) of its target, bettering the conventional accuracy figure of several kilometres.

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The target was a crater where the moon’s mantle, a deep inner layer, is believed to be exposed on the surface.

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JAXA also published its first colour images from the mission depicting the aircraft sitting at a slight angle on the moon’s rocky grey surface, with rising slopes in the distance.

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Thank You!

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