Japan hopes to join an elite club by landing on the moon: A closer look

Japan hopes to make the world's first “pinpoint landing” on the moon, joining a modern push for lunar contact with roots in the Cold War-era competition between the United States and Soviet Union

TOKYO -- Japan hopes to make the world's first “pinpoint landing” on the moon early Saturday, joining a modern push for lunar contact with roots in the Cold War-era space race between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Japan’s attempt to bring down its lander at a precise location follows the April failure of a Japanese company’s spacecraft that apparently crashed while attempting to land on the moon.

As Japan and others look to enter a club so far occupied by only the United States, the Soviet Union, India and China, victory means international scientific and diplomatic accolades and potential domestic political gains.

Failure means a very expensive, and public, embarrassment.

Here’s a look at high-profile recent and upcoming attempts, and what they might mean, ahead of Japan’s moon landing.