Japan to launch Slim Moon lander on September 15, lunar touchdown 4 months later

The H-IIA rocket from Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) will go off on Thursday morning with a Moon lander aboard.

This choice was made after the launch was postponed last month due to poor wind conditions.

In Brief

• The Tanegashima Space Center will serve as the launch site.
• Since 2001, the H-IIA rocket has served as Japan’s primary space launch system.
• Only a few days have passed since India’s Chandrayaan-3 was placed in sleep mode.

The launch is scheduled for September 15 from the Tanegashima Space Center of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in southern Japan at 8:42 a.m. JST or 5:12 a.m. IST.

Since 2001, the H-IIA rocket has served as Japan’s primary space launch vehicle. It was built jointly by JAXA and MHI. It has a stellar track record, having launched 45 of its 46 tries successfully.

However, the failure of JAXA’s new medium-lift H3 rocket on its debut in March caused the launch of the H-IIA No. 47 to be delayed for a number of months. The delay gave time for a full examination into what went wrong.

The fact that Japan’s first spacecraft intended to land on the Moon will be carried by this future launch makes it an important milestone.

The accomplishment of the mission would quicken Japan’s aerospace development plans. According to a Monday article in the Yomiuri newspaper, JAXA might get a subsidy in the amount of 10 billion yen ($68.4 million) to help with their efforts.

The enterprises and academic institutions engaged in the creation of technology for satellites, rockets, and lunar exploration are anticipated to benefit from this investment.

The launch occurs just a few days later.