API VERSION: 1.2 API SOURCE: NASA/JPL Horizons API ******************************************************************************* Revised: Jan 19, 2024 SLIM Spacecraft / (Moon) -240 https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/home/slim/SLIM/index.html https://global.jaxa.jp/countdown/slim/SLIM-mediakit-EN_2308.pdf NOTE: SLIM landed on the Moon 2024-Jan-19 @ 15:19:57 UTC, at location (-13.295493 deg. S, 25.224867 deg. E, -0.79 km). This is 327 km E-SE of the Apollo 16 landing site. Sunset will be 2024-Jan-31 @ 09:27 UTC. LEV-1 and Sora-Q landers deployed prior to touchdown. Sora-Q images indicate SLIM landed on its nose, suffering engine and antenna damage and with solar panels oriented westward, away from the Sun. BACKGROUND SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) is a small, light-weight JAXA lunar lander intended to demonstrate high-precision soft landing with 100-m accuracy using "vision-based" navigation. SLIM was launched 2023-Sep-06 @ 23:42 UTC from Tanegashima Space Center (Japan) on a H-IIA Launch Vehicle along with the separate X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM). The telescope separated at 23:56 UTC, the SLIM lunar lander shortly thereafter, on September 7 @ 00:29 UTC. The lunar landing area will be located in a low-altitude region known as the "Sea of Nectar", having a constant slope of 15 degrees or less, near Shioli Crater at -13.3 deg (S), 25.2 deg. (E). After landing, it will conduct science activities until lunar sunset, doing composition analysis of rocks thought to be derived from the lunar mantle using a multi-band spectral camera. In addition, the SLIM mission also includes a small probe called the Lunar Exploration Vehicle (LEV), which separates from the main spacecraft just before landing and performs photo imaging. The mission also incorporates a Lunar Retro-reflector Array (LRA) provided by NASA. MISSION TIMELINE Arrival in lunar orbit : 3 to 4 months after launch (Jan 9, 2024) Lunar orbit : 1 month Landing descent : 4-6 months after launch (Jan-Apr) SPACECRAFT Mass : 200 kg (Dry) / 700-730 kg (w/fuel) Dimensions: 2.4m x 1.7m x 2.7m S-band communication Landing radar Laser range-finder PROPULSION 1 bi-propellant 500 N-class thruster (used for orbital control and velocity regulation during lunar landing) 1 small 20-N 12 unit bi-propellant thruster (generates translational and rotational forces, assisting attitude control, orbit maneuvering, and precise landing SPACECRAFT TRAJECTORY: Post-launch trajectory from JAXA. Data through January 18, prediction thereafter. There are currently unresolved defects in the JAXA trajectory data over 2023-09-11 02:43-03:00 and from 2023-12-25 23:50 to 2024-01-09 00:00 File name Begins (TDB) Ends (TDB) ---------------------------------------------- ----------------- ----------- >20240904232254.20230907003041.2024011915.v1 2023-Sep-07 00:32 2023-Sep-09 20230909031542.20230909000000.2023100700.BURN 2023-Sep-09 00:01 2023-Sep-13 20230913093800.20230913000000.2023101100.BURN 2023-Sep-13 00:00 2023-Sep-19 202309200110.202309190000.202310170000.BURN 2023-Sep-19 00:00 2023-Sep-24 202309240949.202309240000.202310220000.BURN.v2 2023-Sep-24 00:00 2023-Sep-29 20230929101334.20230929000.20231027000200.burn 2023-Sep-29 00:00 2023-Oct-04 202310040437.202310040400.202311010400.v1 2023-Oct-04 04:01 2023-Oct-27 202310270855.202310270000.202311240000.v1 2023-Oct-27 00:01 2023-Nov-24 >20240904232254.20230907003041.2024011915.v1 2023-Nov-24 00:01 2023-Dec-13 202312230318.20231213080000.20240119161640.v1 2023-Dec-13 08:00 2023-Dec-25 202312261840.20231225235000.20240125000000.v1 2023-Dec-25 23:50 2024-Jan-09 20240109121800.202401090000.2024011915000.v1 2024-Jan-09 00:00 2024-Jan-10 20240110180721.202401100000.2024020100000.v1 2024-Jan-10 00:00 2024-Jan-12 20240112201847.202401120000.2024020100000.v1 2024-Jan-12 00:00 2024-Jan-15 20240115061957.202401150000.2024020115000.v1 2024-Jan-15 00:00 2024-Jan-16 20240116061930.202401160000.2024020115000.v1 2024-Jan-16 00:00 2024-Jan-16 20240117172345.202401160000.2024020100000.v1 2024-Jan-16 23:50 2024-Jan-31 20240118030832.202401170000.2024020100000.v1 2024-Jan-17 00:00 2024-Jan-18 20240118234046.202401180000.2024020100.burn.v1 2024-Jan-18 00:00 2024-Jan-19 20240119175154.202401190000.2024020100.burn.v1 2024-Jan-19 00:00 2024-Jan-31 ******************************************************************************* No ephemeris for target "SLIM (spacecraft)" after A.D. 2024-JAN-31 23:59:59.9992 UT