The first Japanese lunar module SLIM is scheduled to touch down on the Moon on January 20 at 00:20 UTC, which corresponds to January 19 at 18:20 Moscow time, as reported by JAXA and cited by RIA News.
If the landing succeeds, Japan will become the fifth nation to place a module on the lunar surface.
Launched aboard an H2A rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in September, the SLIM spacecraft entered lunar orbit at an altitude of about 600 kilometers on December 25, and a maneuver planned for January 19 aims to reduce its orbital altitude to roughly 15 kilometers, according to JAXA updates.
On Saturday, January 20, at 00:00 UTC (which is January 19, 18:00 Moscow time), the descent sequence will begin and the landing is targeted for 00:20 UTC (18:20 Moscow time). If SLIM misses this window, the next opportunity is set for February 16, 2024, as stated by JAXA.
During the development of the lunar lander, a collaboration between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and JAXA focused intently on precision. Previously the landing accuracy was about 10 kilometers; SLIM is designed to touch down within a 100 meter radius of a preselected point, signaling a shift from proving that a Moon landing is possible to proving precise targeting of a specific lunar site.
A second major objective is to reduce the craft’s mass while preserving high operational precision. This weight reduction is considered critical for future missions, as it enables carrying more essential equipment without sacrificing performance.
On the lunar surface SLIM will deploy two small vehicles: LEV1 and LEV2. LEV1 will conduct photography and will be tested for a hopping capability on the Moon. LEV2 is a compact rover roughly the size of a baseball; after landing it will expand to move across the Moon while LEV1 captures imagery and tests mobility in a rugged terrain. Meanwhile SLIM will perform astronomical observations from the surface.
Success in SLIM’s landing and mission would provide valuable data for the development of future American lunar endeavors such as Artemis missions. NASA engineers have explored the concept of placing corner reflectors on the Moon to assist future landings, a program known as the Lunar Retroreflector Array or Lunar Retroreflector Network.
Earlier discussions around the Peregrine lunar module highlighted drive system concerns, underscoring the ongoing challenges of ensuring reliable propulsion and legged landing systems for small landed payloads and rovers in challenging lunar conditions.