Japan craft made successful pin-point Moon landing, space agency says January 24, 2024 at 11:10PM

In previous attempts, Japan's lunar missions faced setbacks. The Omotenashi lunar probe sent in 2022 as part of the United States' Artemis 1 mission was unsuccessful. Additionally, a Japanese startup's private company mission ended in failure, losing communication after a "hard landing". Despite these challenges, Japan's SMART Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) achieved a successful pin-point lunar landing.