Japan launched a rocket on 7th September 2023 carrying an X-ray telescope that will explore the origins of the universe and a small lunar lander.
The launch of the HII-A rocket from Tanegashima Space Centre in southwestern Japan was shown live by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Thirteen minutes after the launch, the rocket put into orbit around Earth a satellite called the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, or XRISM, which will measure the speed and makeup of what lies between galaxies.
That information helps in studying how celestial objects were formed, and hopefully can lead to solving the mystery of how the universe was created, JAXA reports.
In cooperation with NASA, JAXA will look at the strength of light at different wavelengths, the temperature of things in space and their shapes and brightness.
Smart
Also aboard the Japanese rocket is the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, a lightweight lunar lander. The Smart Lander reportedly won’t make lunar orbit for three or four months after the launch and would likely attempt a landing early 2024, according to the space agency.
Going to the moon has fascinated humankind for decades. Under the U.S. Apollo program, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon in 1969.
Only four nations have successfully landed on the moon, the U.S., Russia, China and India.