JAXA officials disclosed Thursday that the spacecraft, which touched down on Saturday, landed approximately 55 meters from its target location nestled between two craters near the Shioli crater, an area blanketed in volcanic rock. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) JAXA officials revealed Thursday that the spacecraft, which landed on Saturday, descended approximately 55 meters from its predetermined landing site, nestled amidst two craters near the Shioli crater, a zone characterized by volcanic rock. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) Lunar Marksman The objective of landing within a target area of less than 100 meters prompted scientists to dub SLIM the "lunar marksman." It employed "vision-based" guidance, a technology hailed by JAXA as a potent asset for future exploration of the moon's rugged terrain. These areas may harbor reserves of fuel, water, and oxygen.

Japan joins the United States, the former Soviet Union, China, and India as nations that have successfully reached the lunar surface. The mission was the culmination of two decades of precision technology development by JAXA. JAXA boasts experience with challenging space landings. Its Hayabusa2 spacecraft, launched in 2014, landed twice on the 900-meter-long asteroid Ryugu. Hayabusa2 retrieved material that was later returned to Earth for scientific analysis in 2020. In the past year, three lunar missions have faltered: one by Russia's space agency; one by a private Japanese company; and another by a private U.S. company. Nevertheless, additional lunar landers are slated to journey to the moon this year.

U.S. firm Intuitive Machines aims to launch its IM-1 lander in mid-February. China intends to dispatch its Chang'e-6 spacecraft to the far side of the moon in the first half of the year. Additionally, the American space agency NASA is targeting November for the launch of its lunar polar exploration rover VIPER. Top of Form Bottom of Form