Japanese Space Agency says; its lunar probe landed close to its target on the moon's surface

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency today said, its lunar probe had landed close to its target on the moon's surface. The agency said, the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) achieved an unprecedented pinpoint landing within 100 meters of its target. 

Immediately after the landing, there were fears that the probe might not have made it. However,



the probe's solar panels were not able to generate electricity because they were facing the wrong direction.

The lunar landing just after midnight Japanese time last Saturday made Japan the fifth nation to put a craft on the surface of the moon after the United States, former Soviet Union, China and India.