NOSE DIVE

Japanese Lunar Mission Pulls Off Historic Face Plant Onto Moon’s Surface

The SLIM lander achieved its tricky pinpoint landing upside down.

Japan’s historic moon mission has ended with a successful face plant into the lunar surface.

Although the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down within 100 meters, or 328 feet, of its target on Thursday, photos from the lander’s own ejected camera show it balanced on its nose upside down on the moon rock.

The lander suffered the loss of one of its two main engines, which caused it to land harder than expected on the surface and about 180 feet wide of its target. Japan’s space exploration agency projects that if the SLIM lander had touched down with both engines operating as planned, it would have made its tricky landing within 10 meters (33 feet) or less of its target.

Despite the unplanned face-first landing, the mission is an overall success. Its completion makes Japan the fifth country ever to achieve a soft landing on the moon, and could potentially expand the number of landing sites for future missions there.