2023-09-08 14:45:29
Landing on the Moon and scrutinizing the universe in X-rays like never before are their respective missions.
On September 7, 2023, an H-IIA rocket successfully launched the JAXA (Japanese space agency) XRISM (X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) and SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) spacecraft into space.
The launch took place from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.
The XRISM spacecraft separated from the launcher 14 minutes into the flight. SLIM did so 47 minutes after the start of the flight.
Shortly after, the first signals were received from each of these ships, proving that their operation is normal. The communication from XRISM was captured by a US space station located in Hawaii. The communication from SLIM was captured by a space station located in Maspalomas, Canary Islands, Spain.
XRISM is an astronomical satellite that will remain in an orbit of about 500 kilometers above the Earth. It will make unprecedented observations of the universe in X-rays, thanks to its revolutionary technology. NASA and ESA (respectively, the American and European space agencies) as well as other institutions have also collaborated in XRISM.
Launch into space of XRISM and SLIM. (Photo: JAXA)
Some of the things astronomers hope to study using XRISM include emissions after stellar explosions, as well as jets of particles accelerated to near the speed of light spewed from the violent vicinity of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies.
The mission of the SLIM spacecraft is to test a new technology for landings outside the Earth, testing it on the surface of the Moon with a small experimental descent probe. If the system to be tested works as expected, it will allow future ships sent to other worlds to land in sites much more difficult than those currently chosen as feasible for such landings. (Source: NCYT from Amazings)
#Japanese #spacecraft #SLIM #XRISM #adventure