After India, Japan is also sending a space mission to the moon.
The Japanese mission was supposed to launch at the end of August but due to bad weather, it will now depart on September 7, 2023.
The mission, named Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLAM), will consist of a small spacecraft weighing 200 kg.
The primary objective of this mission is to demonstrate the capability of pinpoint landing within 100 meters of the selected landing site.
According to the Japanese authorities, space missions are landed wherever it feels convenient, but with this mission we want to prove that we can land on the moon wherever we want.
This is slightly different from the soft landing technique of the Chandrayaan 3 mission.
According to JAXA, Pinpoint Landing technology will allow us to land spacecraft closer to more scientifically important locations.
According to the organization, achieving this goal will also make it possible to land on other planets.
The Japanese mission will attempt to land near Shioli, a small crater in the moon’s equatorial region.
This is the first time that a mission is being sent to the moon by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Earlier, a private Japanese company launched a mission to the moon a few months ago, but it failed to land.
The Japanese mission will not rely on a powerful rocket, but will first enter Earth orbit and then head to the Moon, like the Chandrayaan 3 mission.
The mission will take 4 to 6 months to enter lunar orbit.