Japan postpones launch of its Moon Sniper mission for the third time

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) postponed its lunar mission "Moon Sniper" for the third time on Monday due to strong winds, just half an hour before the scheduled launch.

JAXA did not announce a new launch date for the mission, which comes after a successful landing of an unmanned Indian vehicle on the moon last week.

The rocket, set to launch from the southern island of Tanegashima, will carry a research satellite developed by JAXA, NASA, and the European Space Agency.

A spokesperson from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the company overseeing the launch, informed journalists that the mission was delayed due to "the strong winds not aligning with the launch criteria," and preparations for another attempt would take "at least three days."

The company indicated that the launch must occur before the current deadline of September 15.

Last week, an Indian vehicle successfully landed near the southern pole of the moon, a historic achievement.

Previously, only the United States, Russia, and China managed to send spacecraft to the moon's surface, with none having reached its southern pole.

India's recent success follows the crash of a Russian vehicle at the same location and comes four years after a previous Indian attempt failed in the final moments.

Japan has also made attempts in the past, such as its endeavor to land the "Omotenashi" vehicle as part of NASA's "Artemis 1" mission last year. However, the mission encountered difficulties, and communication was lost with the vehicle.

In April, the Japanese startup company "ispace" also failed in its ambitious attempt to become the first company to land on the moon, losing contact with its vehicle after what it described as a "hard landing."



AFP