Why is Japan's 'moon sniper' landing mission important?

A H-IIA rocket carrying the Japanese national space agency’s moon lander being launched at Tanegashima Space Centre on Sept 7, 2023. - PHOTO: REUTERS

TOKYO (Reuters): Japan aims to become the fifth country to put a spacecraft on the moon when it attempts the precision landing of the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) probe on Friday.

Dubbed the "moon sniper", SLIM will put to the test an experimental technology the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) says is unprecedented and essential to searching for water, and other factors that could sustain life on the moon.