Oct 5 2007
From The Space Library
JAXA officials announced that, after project engineers had successfully put the probe through a series of maneuvers, Japan’s lunar satellite, SELENE, had reached orbit, marking the first time Japan had placed a satellite in orbit around the Moon. According to the mission plan, SELENE would place its main orbiter Kayuga in an orbit approximately 60 miles (96.6 kilometers) from the Moon and would then deploy two smaller satellites in polar orbits. The project constituted a key advance for Japan, which had launched its first satellite in 1972 but, since that time, had struggled to keep up with the People’s Republic of China. Japan had launched SELENE on 14 September, following a four-year delay of the mission.
Eric Talmadge for Associated Press, “Japan’s SELENE Probe Reaches Lunar Orbit,” 5 October 2007.
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