Japan space agency says its lunar spacecraft is on the moon but is still 'checking its status'

Japan’s space agency says that its unmanned spacecraft is on the moon but is still “checking its status.” Officials said more details will be given at a news conference. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon or SLIM came down onto the lunar surface at around 12:20 a.m. Tokyo time on Saturday (1520 GMT Friday). If SLIM landed successfully Japan would become the fifth country to accomplish the feat after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s mission control said that its descent was going as planned and later said that SLIM was on the lunar surface. But there was no mention of whether the landing was successful.