Receiving a letter of appreciation for contributions to the SLIM demonstration lander that reached the Moon

On January 20, 2024, the SLIM demonstration lander successfully achieved a soft landing on the Moon in a first for a Japanese probe. For contributing to this success, the Chuo University Kunii Laboratory received a letter of appreciation from the SLIM Project Manager at JAXA-ISAS. The Kunii Laboratory took part as a key member in the development of the LEV-1 small exploration vehicle on board the SLIM lander, and was recognized for these contributions.

LEV-1’s notable accomplishments included transmitting images back to Earth of SLIM, which landed upside down on the Moon, and for demonstrating its ability to actually hop on the lunar surface. The Kunii Laboratory made significant contributions to the conceptualization, design and development of the LEV-1 rover.

Under this project, we are carrying forward the achievements of LEV-1 as we pursue R&D aimed at new lunar exploration robot swarms.