The lunar module developed by a Japan venture company launched in December last year will attempt to land on the lunar surface in the early morning of the 12th. At the facility of JAXA = Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, training was conducted on lunar exploration using a small robot of the same type as the one mounted on the lander.
The training was conducted at a facility that reproduces the lunar surface at JAXA's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture.
The small robot is similar to a sphere with a diameter of about 8 centimeters and a weight of about 250 grams, and was developed by JAXA and major toy manufacturers.
When transformed, it is designed to run freely with two wheels.
The robot is mounted on a lunar module launched by a rocket of the American private company "SpaceX" last December.
At the facility, training was conducted in preparation for the planned exploration after landing, and the personnel in charge confirmed the operating procedures such as driving on the moon and taking pictures with cameras using the same type of vehicle.
According to the Japan venture company "ispace" that developed the lunar module, it is currently flying in an orbit around an altitude of about 100 km on the moon, so if there are no problems with the condition of the onboard equipment, the descent is scheduled to begin in the early morning of the 26th.
If we succeed in landing on the moon, we may be able to take the first private sector in the world and the first Japan to explore the moon.
Yuta Kawai, a researcher at JAXA's Human Space Technology Center, said, "We are excited about the driving of the robots we have trained with great care on the moon, and we will prepare ourselves well so that we can collect as much data as possible."