Japan recently launched its lunar probe that will land on the Moon next year. It is expected to start the lunar landing process by February. The SLIM moon lander is carrying a tiny lunar explorer inspired by a toy. The probe looks like a ball that will hobble and wheel itself around to take pictures on the moon.
What is LEV-2
The Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2, or LEV-2 is a little metal sphere that is a little larger than a tennis ball. Once on the moon, LEV-2 will pop off the SLIM lander and transform its two halves to move around the lunar surface.
“We adopted the robust and safe design technology for children’s toys, which reduced the number of components used in the vehicle as much as possible and increased its reliability,” the toy’s developer explained.
SLIM, or the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, probe from the Japanese space agency JAXA, is designed to demonstrate the country’s first soft lunar landing. It launched aboard an H-2A rocket last week with the XRISM X-ray satellite payload.
The LEV-2 will release from the lander at approximately 5 feet, 11 inches (1.8 metres) above the lunar surface, and begin rolling around to image SLIM’s landing and the surrounding area. LEV-2’s battery power is expected to last about two hours.
How it will move
The two halves of LEV-2 will separate and they will be able to function as legs and wheels to allow it to move around. Nestled between the halves are two cameras and a stabiliser to help LEV-2 navigate its surroundings. It will transmit its data back to Earth through LEV-1, a separate probe also aboard SLIM, which will operate in tandem with SLIM and LEV-2.
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The Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2) is a little metal sphere, not much larger than a tennis ball. Once on the moon, it will pop off the SLIM lander, and transform its two halves to traverse the fine regolith of the lunar surface. SLIM, the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon probe from the Japanese space agency JAXA, is designed to demonstrate the country’s first soft lunar landing. It launched aboard an H-2A rocket on Wednesday (Sept. 6) with a sister payload, the XRISM X-ray satellite.
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