Japan launched an exploratory spacecraft called "Moon Sniper" to the moon on Thursday 7 September.

If the mission of this spacecraft is carried out successfully, Japan will be the fifth country in the world to land on the moon.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said that the rocket took off as planned from the Tangashima Space Center in the south of the country and successfully launched the lunar lander.

This spacecraft, which cost about 100 million dollars to launch, is expected to land on the moon in February next year.

Hiroshi Yamakawa, head of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, said the spacecraft's big goal is to land with high precision and "where we want," not "land where we can."

The Japanese spacecraft will be launched two weeks after India successfully landed the Chandrayaan-3 lander on the moon.

Japan tried to land on the moon twice last year, but failed.