Hiten (spacecraft)
Hiten (ひてん) is the name of the first Japanese space probe sent to the moon. It was the first lunar probe launched by a country other than the Soviet Union or the United States.[1]
The launch was a project of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science of the University of Tokyo.
The satellite was sent toward the moon on January 24, 1990.[2]
On the first lunar approach, Hiten released a small orbiter. This was called Hagoromo (羽衣, literally, the "feather mantle")[3]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ NASA, Hiten-Hagoromo mission profile Archived 2008-02-05 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-4-16.
- ↑ JAXA, "Catalogue of ISAS Missions" Archived 2014-12-31 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-4-16.
- ↑ The lunar orbiter was named after the feather mantle of Hiten
Other websites[change | change source]
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Hiten (MUSES-C) mission profile Archived 2011-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
