Japan’s robotic spacecraft SLIM has captured the first images of the lunar surface since arriving in lunar orbit,says Space.
The spacecraft successfully entered the lunar orbit on December 25 at 09:51 Kyiv time.
“SLIM successfully completed main engine operation at 09:51 and successfully entered lunar orbit! Below is an image sent from SLIM near the Moon”, – JAXA.
SLIM is in an elliptical orbit, orbiting the Moon approximately every 6.4 hours.
The 2.7-meter-long spacecraft is scheduled to land on the Moon on January 19, 2024. If SLIM’s landing is successful, Japan will become the fifth country after the Soviet Union, the United States, China, and India to successfully land on the moon.
After landing on the Moon, SLIM plans to test the technology needed to land on the Moon and planets in the Solar System, as well as conduct detailed studies of the Moon’s surface using a small probe.
Source
speka