On Friday, Japan made history by successfully deploying its precise "Moon Sniper" rover to the lunar surface. Japan became the fifth nation to join an exclusive group of only four other nations as The US, the Soviet Union, China, and India are the only other nations to have accomplished this feat so far.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) probe began its “power descent sequence” towards the lunar surface early Saturday local time (15:00 GMT Friday). It landed on the slope of a crater just south of the lunar equator using "pinpoint technology."

Speaking ahead of the touch-down, Shinichiro Sakai, JAXA’s SLIM project manager, said “Proving Japan has this technology would bring us a huge advantage in upcoming international missions like Artemis,” referring to US space agency NASA’s crewed moon mission.

“No other nation has achieved this.”

The pinpoint technology has been previously used by Japan to successfully land probes on two asteroids. JAXA stresses its high-precision technology will become a powerful tool in future exploration of hilly Moon poles, seen as a potential source of oxygen, fuel, and water.

JAXA officials have said mission success would mean a new era of space travel and a change from "landing where we can" to "landing where we want."

Aboard Japan's Moon Sniper spacecraft is a little robot with a significant mission: to transform, much like a toy Transformer, explore the lunar terrain, and transmit images back to Earth. The shape-shifting SORA-Q probe, a collaborative effort involving a prominent toy company, has drawn comparisons to friendly Star Wars droids and sea turtles due to its ability to navigate the dusty moonscape with its adaptable metal form.

The name "Sora" translates to "universe" in Japanese, while "Q" symbolizes the words "question" and "quest," as highlighted by its creators. After landing on the moon, the probe’s cameras are expected to take valuable images of a crater where parts of the moon’s mantle, usually hidden deep below its crust, are believed to be exposed.

Japan has been actively seeking to broaden its involvement in space activities by establishing partnerships, particularly with the United States. This strategic initiative aims to counterbalance the increasing military and technological influence of China, extending its efforts into the domain of space exploration and capabilities. Japan is actively participating in NASA’s Artemis programme to send one of its astronauts to the moon.

Image source: ToI