The heavy payload rocket was launched carrying an advanced imaging satellite and a lightweight lander that was scheduled to reach the moon as early as January.
| A Japanese rocket bound for the moon took off early on Thursday, offering relief to a battered national space program following a string of weather delays, major setbacks and high-profile failures.
Around 9:30 am, the lander separated from the rocket and successfully began its journey to the lunar surface. Though landings now tend to be off by about 10 kilometres or more, the Smart Lander is designed to be more precise, within about 100 metres of the intended target, JAXA official Shinichiro Sakai told reporters ahead of the launch.The rocket is also carrying the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, or XRISM, a satellite that will help scientists observe plasma in stars and galaxies.
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