Japan's SLIM spacecraft lands on moon, a first for the country

A miniature model of the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is displayed at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s facility in Sagamihara, south of Tokyo, Japan, January 19, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan on Saturday became the world's fifth country to put a spacecraft on the moon, as the space agency said its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) has made a soft landing on the lunar surface.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has attempted the landing of the probe dubbed "moon sniper" within 100 metres (328 feet) of target. It will take up to a month to verify if SLIM has achieved the precision goals, the agency has said.

(Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Nick Zieminski)