Japanese spacecraft lands on the moon

STORY: The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) landed the moon's surface at around 12:20 a.m. (1520 GMT Friday) but it was still confirming the communication with the probe.Dubbed the "moon sniper," SLIM attempted to land within 100 meters (328 feet) of its target, versus the conventional accuracy of several kilometers.JAXA says this landing technology will become a powerful tool in future exploration of hilly moon poles seen as a potential source of oxygen, fuel and water – factors necessary to sustain life. It will take up to a month to verify whether SLIM had achieved the high-precision goals, JAXA has said.