Mission Moon: Japan launches H-IIA rocket carrying JAXA’s lander SLIM weeks after Chandrayaan-3

Japan successfully launched its H-IIA rocket on September 7 carrying the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Moon lander which is scheduled to land on the Moon early next year. The launch took place after a series of postponements due to unfavourable weather conditions last month, reported Reuters.

H-IIA rocket successfully lifted off from the launch pad at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, southern Japan. The rocket carried an X-ray telescope called the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), which will study the origins of the universe. XRISM will measure the composition and speed of intergalactic space, AP reported.

This space mission aims to help scientists to understand celestial object formation and the universe's creation. This mission was conducted in collaboration with NASA, and it will involve studying light at various wavelengths, temperature assessments, and analysing the shapes and brightness of celestial objects, AP reported.

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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was responsible for manufacturing and launching the rocket H-IIA. Onboard the rocket is JAXA's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) spacecraft also known as the "Moon Sniper" for its precision landing technology. SLIM is scheduled to land on the Moon early next year.

This launch follows India's recent achievement of becoming the fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon with its Chandrayaan-3 mission. The launch comes two weeks after India successfully landed Vikram lander on the lunar south pole.

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Japan had previously experienced two unsuccessful attempts to land on the Moon. The first resulted in a loss of contact with a lander carried by a NASA rocket, and the second, an attempt by a Japanese startup, ended in a crash during the lunar descent in April.

(With agency inputs)