section_path: 21st century uncrewed soft landings and attempts/Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Japan)
section_name: Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Japan)
paragraph_text: Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Japan)
  
  JAXA launched the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission on 6 September 2023 at 23:42 UTC (7 September 08:42 Japan Standard Time). It landed on 19 January 2024 at 15:20 UTC, making Japan the fifth country to soft-land on the Moon. Solar panel orientation issues and possible landing damage complicated the spacecraft's operation. The mission also deployed two rovers which operated successfully and independently communicated with Earth.