After a week of anticipation since the historic landing of the unmanned SLIM probe, the Japan surprised the world by releasing the first images of the lunar surface.
This mission not only marks the country’s entry into the select group of nations that have accomplished this feat, but represents a significant milestone for the Japanese space program, which now sees new horizons in space exploration.
Unreleased images and revitalization projection
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) published, on Thursday (25), the images captured by SLIM, which touched the lunar surface on January 19.
SLIM project manager Shinichiro Sakai expressed his enthusiasm during a press conference when commenting on the mission.
“We proved that you can land where you want, rather than where you are capable. This will inspire more and more people, ideally Japanese missions, to try to land in unexplored places on the Moon.”
The images sent by the probe reveal an unprecedented perspective of the Moonoffering scientists and enthusiasts a detailed look at the lunar landscape.
JAXA reported that the images are the result of a sophisticated process that combines multiple low-resolution images, allowing a preliminary analysis of rocks of scientific interest around the landing site.
Scan made by the Japanese lunar probe. – Image: JAXA/Reproduction
“The scan serves to carry out a preliminary examination of rocks of scientific interest that surround the SLIM landing site,” stated the space agency’s website.
Additionally, the team is in the process of identifying and naming the rocks based on their relative sizes, preparing to conduct even more in-depth observations when the probe regains its power, generated by the attached solar panel.
Japan now joins a select list of countries that have successfully landed on the Moon, including the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India.
This achievement not only reinforces Japan’s position at the forefront of space exploration, but also promises to inspire future generations of scientists and Japanese space explorers exploring the mysteries of the cosmos.
With SLIM as a forerunner, Japan begins a new era in space exploration, boosting not only its own scientific research, but also contributing to the advancement of human knowledge about the universe around us.
