Japan¡¯s lunar lander touched down 55 meters east of its target on the moon¡¯s surface on Saturday, despite losing one of its main engines during its final descent, the nation¡¯s space agency said Thursday.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency¡¯s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) had aimed to land within 100 meters of a target site, much more precise than the several to tens-of-kilometers range seen in conventional lunar missions.
¡°We have confirmed that SLIM succeeded in making a soft landing within the accuracy of 100 meters at 12:20 a.m. (Saturday),¡± Hitoshi Kuninaka, director-general of JAXA¡¯s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, told a news conference.
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