[Reading Science] The Moon, Not as Close as It Seems or You Think...

Japan succeeds in pinpoint lunar landing but mission incomplete
US delays manned moon exploration plan after private lunar lander failure
Korea faces tough path to achieve 2032 moon landing goal

The distance between the Moon and the Earth is 385,000 km. Even in this advanced scientific era, flying this distance from Earth and landing on the Moon remains challenging. Since the United States first succeeded in manned lunar exploration in the 1960s, only a very limited number of countries have reached the Moon. Successfully landing a lunar probe signifies possessing world-class space technology. The mixed fortunes of space powers' lunar explorations since the beginning of the year suggest that many challenges remain for us as well, aiming for a Moon landing in 2032.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) held a press conference on the 25th and released photos of the lunar explorer "SLIM," which successfully landed on the moon's surface on the 20th. The photos show SLIM as captured by "Sora-Q," a ball-shaped transformable robot jointly developed by JAXA and toy manufacturer Takara Tomy. Provided by JAXA, Takara Tomy, Sony Group, and Doshisha University. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 20th, Japan confirmed its world-class space technology level through the lunar probe "SLIM" that landed on the Moon. Japan became the fifth country in the world to reach the Moon after the United States, Russia, China, and India, but achieved outstanding results in landing accuracy.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) held a press conference on the 25th, five days after the SLIM probe arrived on the Moon, stating, "It is estimated to have landed about 55 meters from the target landing site." JAXA's goal was to land within 100 meters. This is considered a groundbreaking achievement in lunar exploration. It is difficult enough to safely reach the Moon, but landing as close as possible to the designated landing site is also a major challenge. Previous lunar landing site errors were several kilometers or more. JAXA challenged the 'pinpoint landing' goal of landing within 100 meters of the target site and achieved results exceeding expectations. Shinichiro Sakai, JAXA project manager and person in charge of SLIM, emphasized that this landing was "a perfect score."

To reach the Moon, a safe, smooth, and precise landing is required. Until now, successful soft landings have been achieved, but pinpoint landings were unprecedented. Jin Lee Chun, deputy director of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, evaluated that even though SLIM's engine malfunctioned during the landing process and it stopped after two and a half hours without landing in a perfect posture, succeeding in pinpoint landing alone is a remarkable achievement. The accuracy of reaching the planned landing site on the Moon is extremely important. Deputy Director Chun said, "If the landing site is far from the target, it is difficult to move, and it is impossible to know what dangers may lurk." Accurate landing can determine the success or failure of lunar landing plans. He added that the unique appearance of the Japanese lunar lander, which seems to lack large legs unlike other countries' landers, was due to the consideration that the landing target site was a slope. In the photos released by Japan, SLIM is seen standing obliquely on the rugged lunar surface for this reason.

The ULA rocket carrying the United States' first private lunar lander, 'Peregrine,' soared with flames on the 8th at the U.S. Space Force Base in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Peregrine failed without even reaching near the lunar orbit.
[Image source=UPI Yonhap News]

The journey to the Moon remains difficult. Last year, Russia's unmanned lunar lander "Luna 25" crashed on the lunar surface, failing to land. Israel also experienced failure. India and Japan succeeded after initial failures. The United States, the first country to conduct manned lunar exploration, also suffered a blow. The probe sent to the Moon after half a century encountered problems, and the manned lunar exploration plan has been delayed.

The world's first private lunar lander, "Peregrine," developed by a U.S. company, was successfully launched on the 8th aboard ULA's new rocket, but seven hours after launch, a fuel leak occurred, causing it to fall back to Earth instead of the Moon. Peregrine is the world's first private lunar lander launched under NASA's leadership. If all had gone as planned, it would have been the first private space company to attempt a lunar landing next month, but instead, it left the stigma of being the first private lunar lander to fail.

Problems are also emerging in NASA's ambitious manned lunar exploration program, "Artemis." NASA postponed the Artemis 2 mission, which will carry astronauts around the Moon, to September next year, and the Artemis 3 mission, which will land astronauts on the lunar surface, to September 2026. Originally, Artemis 2 was scheduled to orbit the Moon with astronauts in November this year, followed by Artemis 3 landing on the Moon next year. The schedule has been delayed by about a year. NASA cited safety concerns for the astronauts as the reason. There are still many areas to improve. The private space company's "Starship," developed by SpaceX and intended as the lunar lander for Artemis 3, is still incomplete. Starship conducted two test launches last year but did not succeed. However, progress is being made through these test launches.

We are accelerating the development of a Korean lunar lander to be mounted on the next-generation launch vehicle, aiming for a Moon landing in 2032. The "Phase 2 Lunar Exploration Project," including lunar lander development, was finalized last October after a comprehensive evaluation of the third national research and development preliminary feasibility study in 2022. Currently, the Korean lunar orbiter "Danuri" is orbiting the Moon, but the government's goal is to independently develop a lunar lander and achieve a Moon landing to truly join the ranks of space development nations. Whether this schedule can proceed as planned without any issues cannot be guaranteed 100%.