Smart Lander for Investigating Moon will aim to touch down within an unprecedented 100 metres of its target

Japan’s “Moon Sniper” mission has blasted off on its mission to make Japan the fifth country to touch down safely on the lunar surface, and the first to do it with unusual precision.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Slim) got its Sniper nickname because it is designed to land within 100 metres of a specific target on the surface – much less than the usual range of several kilometres.