--- title: "NASA Spacecraft Shoots Japanese Moon Lander With Laser" description: "NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been shooting lasers at Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon to hit a tiny target." date: "2024-08-09" modified: "2024-08-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-spacecraft-shoots-japanese-moon-lander-laser" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "lunar lander" - "moon" - "NASA" - "slim" - "the digest" --- # NASA Spacecraft Shoots Japanese Moon Lander With Laser ![NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been shooting lasers at Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon to hit a tiny target.]() *\Image: JAXA\* ## Bullseye NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter [has been shooting lasers]() at Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) in an attempt to hit a retroreflector mounted right beneath the lander's solar panels. This tiny, dome-shaped device called a Laser Retroreflector Array is a surprisingly simple contraption with an important job. It's designed to reflect light, revealing its location to the original laser source with an extremely high degree of accuracy. NASA is hoping the device could guide the way for future Artemis astronauts in the dark or help locate existing spacecraft on the lunar surface. Best of all, the device works without power, which means it could last for decades, according to the space agency. After eight failed attempts, LRO's laser finally hit the bullseye on May 24, bouncing light off of Japan's SLIM — despite the lander failing to [stick the landing and toppling over]() back in January. "This was an important accomplishment for NASA because the device is not in an optimal position," NASA wrote in a [press release]() last week (in fact, SLIM landed "with its top facing sideways, limiting LRO's range.") ## Moon Ping Even if SLIM had landed perfectly, it was already a tough shot. The orbiter's laser altimeter was originally designed to map the Moon's topography, not shoot a tiny reflector on the surface. "LRO’s altimeter wasn’t built for this type of application, so the chances of pinpointing a tiny retroreflector on the Moon’s surface are already low," said NASA scientist Xiaoli Sun, who led the team that built the retroreflector attached to SLIM, in a statement. "For the LRO team to have reached a retroreflector that faces sideways, instead of the sky, shows that these little devices are incredibly resilient," he added. The news comes after LRO [successfully bounced a laser]() off India's Vikram lander in December. Since then, the orbiter has hit the lander's target three more times, according to NASA. **More on the tests:** *[NASA Probe Shoots Indian Moon Lander With Laser]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()