Staff of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) watch a live streaming of the pinpoint moon landing operation by the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) spacecraft observe a live streaming at JAXA's Sagamihara Campus Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, in Sagamihara near Tokyo. It was using “pinpoint landing” technology that promises far greater control than any previous moon landing. The spacecraft was testing technology to allow moon missions to land “where we want to, rather than where it is easy to land,” JAXA has said. Japan hopes to regain confidence for its space technology after a number of failures. A successful pinpoint landing by SLIM, especially on the moon, would raise Japan's profile in the global space technology race.

Source: The Guardian January 20, 2024 00:47 UTC