Japan’s “Moon Sniper” Lander Successfully Enters Lunar Orbit

The “Moon Sniper” lander developed by Japan’s space agency successfully entered lunar orbit on Christmas Day. This great achievement brough the nation a step closer to reaching its goal of landing a robotic explorer on the moon’s surface for the first time.

Over the next 3 ½ weeks, the spacecraft’s orbit will take it as close as 9 miles above the surface as it commences its final descent. The Moon Sniper lander will attempt its soft touchdown at 10:20 a.m. ET January 19. By doing so, Japan would be only the fifth country to accomplish such a feat.

The lightweight lander will target a landing zone that stretches about 328 feet. If it reaches the lunar surface, the moon sniper is expected to explore a site near a small impact crater called Shioli — near the Apollo 11 landing site where NASA astronauts first touched down in 1969. Japan’s robotic explorer will attempt a “pinpoint” landing, attempting to touch down with maximum accuracy, and will collect data on lunar rocks that will assist scientists better understand the moon’s genesis.

Following Japan’s Moon Sniper spacecraft’s landing attempt, the US plans to deploy up to three robotic vehicles to the moon’s surface in the following year.

Jackies, Wattle. CNN. “Japan’s Lunar Spacecraft Arrives in Orbit Ahead of Historic Moon Landing attempt”. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/26/world/japan-lunar-lander-moon-orbit-scn/index.html. 26/12/2023. [Date accessed 28/12/2023].