• On Thursday, Japan launched a lunar exploration spacecraft in hopes of becoming the fifth country in the world to land on the moon. Reuters (LR: 3 CP: 5)
• The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency said the H-IIA rocket carrying the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) took off from Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. Al Jazeera (LR: 2 CP: 1)
• Nicknamed the “moon sniper,” SLIM is designed to land within 100m (328ft) of a specific target on the moon — significantly more accurate than the usual range of several kilometers. Dw.Com
• The XRISM satellite, a second payload launched on the same rocket, is expected to perform “high-resolution X-ray spectroscopic observations” of hot gas plasma blowing through the universe. Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)
• Japan’s lunar mission, expected to start its landing maneuvers by February, comes days after India’s successful soft landing of its spacecraft on the moon’s south pole in August. Independent (LR: 2 CP: 3)
• Thursday’s launch comes after multiple failed attempts, including last year when a probe called Omotenashi was under the US program known as Artemis. Dw.Com

Pro-establishment narrative:

• If this landmark mission touches down on the moon, it will mark a turning point in advanced optical and image processing technology. The success of Japan’s mission will make it possible for humans to land on planets even more resource-scarce than the moon.
  CBS (LR: 2 CP: 5)

Establishment-critical narrative:

• Countries worldwide spend billions of dollars on space exploration, but very little is achieved. Our planet faces many existential issues, such as climate change, that would be a better use of the time, money, and effort spent studying and exploring space.
  IET

Nerd narrative:

• There’s a 50% chance that at least four spacecraft will land on the moon from 2022 through 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
  Metaculus (LR: 3 CP: 3)