Russia, the United States, China and India are the four countries that have successfully landed probes on the lunar surface so far, making them a pretty exclusive club. Next January, Japan wants to become the fifth country to enter the "moon club" through the SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) mission.
The Japan Space Agency (JAXA) says they aim to land the SLIM probe on the moon's surface on January 19 next year. This probe has already been launched from the earth on September 6. According to the original plan, SLIM, which is 2.4m x 1.7m x 2.7m and weighs 730 kg, will enter the moon's orbit on December 25.
If all systems go smoothly SLIM will land on Shiolu's friend near Mare Nectaris. The purpose of the SLIM mission is to test the lander system which achieves an accuracy of around 100 meters from the target. It would also open the door for Japan to do more missions to the lunar surface.
Japan is one of the signatories of the Artemis Agreement which pledges to undertake space travel for peaceful purposes only. Emergency assistance will be provided to astronauts when needed. Also included are ethics when mining resources on the surface of the moon and Mars.