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Japan says 'Konichhiwa', becomes fifth country to reach the moon

Japan has become the newest addition to the elite lunar space club, which India had joined after its successful Chandrayaan mission.

- Tokyo - UPDATED: January 19, 2024, 11:32 PM - 2 min read

Japan says 'Konichhiwa', becomes fifth country to reach the moon

Japan's moon lander probe. Image via JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)

A Japanese spacecraft touched down on the moon early Saturday, making Japan the fifth country to reach the lunar surface. But officials said they still needed to analyse the pinpoint accuracy of the landing.

Hitoshi Kuninaka, head of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, said they believe that rovers were launched and data were being transmitted back to Earth. But there could be an issue with the power supply.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, landed at about 12:20 am Tokyo time on Saturday (1520 GMT Friday). Japan follows the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India in reaching the moon.