NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has successfully reflected a laser pulse from Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon (SLIM) probe, marking a significant achievement in lunar exploration.
This event follows a similar successful launch from India’s Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander.
On May 24, 2024, NASA’s LRO sent a laser pulse to a small retroreflector on JAXA’s SLIM lander during two consecutive orbits about 44 miles above the lunar surface.
Although the retroreflector was in excellent condition, the signal bounced back to the LRO’s detector on both attempts. SLIM landed on the Moon on January 19, 2024, and its retroreflector, called the Laser Retroreflector Array, was one of six signals sent by NASA to the Moon.
