Tech JAXA successfully launches H-2A to place lunar lander into orbit

The H-2A Launch Vehicle No. 47 blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center here at around 8:42 a.m., and its payload was later confirmed to be safely in orbit. Fourteen minutes after the launch, the X-ray astronomy satellite XRISM was placed in orbit, and 33 minutes later, the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) probe was also placed in orbit. XRISM is designed to replace the Hitomi X-ray astronomy satellite, which ceased operations two months after it was launched in 2016. XRISM will orbit the Earth at an altitude of about 550 kilometers and observe X-rays emitted by celestial objects and hot gas to help unravel the origins of the universe. The SLIM probe will attempt Japan's first landing on the moon between January and February. The aim is to place the probe within 100 meters of its targeted landing site. A successful landing would make Japan the fifth nation to do so, following the former Soviet Union, the United States, China and India.

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