Mission Details
| Mission Name: Kaguya (SELENE) |
| Mission Type: Lunar Orbiter |
| Operator: JAXA (Japanese Space Agency) |
| Launching State: Japan |
| Location: Mineur D Crater |
| Latitude: 28.213 |
| Longitude: -159.033 |
| Launch Date: 14 September 2007, 01:31:01 UT |
| Landing Date: 12 February 2009, 10:46 UT |
| Objects on or Related to Site: Okina SELENE-Kaguya |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
The SELENE-Kaguya mission was designed to create a detailed topographical model of the Moon.
Read more:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/kaguya/in-depth/
Heritage Consideration
The mission carried two small satellites: Okina and Ouna, which mean “honorable elderly man” and “honorable elderly woman,” respectively.
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Okina |
| Cospar: 2007-039A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 14 September 2007, 01:31:01 UT |
| Landing Date: 12 February 2009, 10:46 UT |
| Deployment: N/A |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: Global survey of the Moon. |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
The relay subsatellite is an octagonal cylinder 0.99 x 0.99 x 0.65 m in size with a mass of 53 kg. A dipole antenna protrudes from the top center of the subsatellite and four small S-band patch antennas are mounted on the spacecraft, two on the top deck and two on the bottom.
The spacecraft is spin-stabilized at 10 rpm and has no propulsion units. Power is provided by a 70 W Si solar cell array covering the sides of the satellite which charges a 13 AH, 26 V NiMH battery. The relay subsatellite contains one X-band and three S-band VLBI radio sources and a transponder and will relay the 4-way Doppler ranging signal between a ground station and the orbiter for the far side gravity field investigation from a 100 x 2400 km orbit.
Okina impacted the Moon on 12 February 2009.
Read more:
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2007-039A
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Kaguya (SELENE) |
| Cospar: 2007-039A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 14 September 2007, 01:31:01 UT |
| Landing Date: 10 June 2009, 18:25 UT |
| Deployment: N/A |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: Global survey of the Moon. |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
The primary objective of the mission is a global survey of the Moon, obtaining data on elemental abundance, mineralogical composition, topography, geology, gravity, and the lunar and solar-terrestrial plasma environments and to develop critical technologies for future lunar exploration, such as lunar polar orbit injection, three-axis attitude stabilization, and thermal control.
The mission consists of three satellites, an orbiter containing most of the scientific equipment, a VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) Radio (VRAD) satellite, and a relay satellite designed to receive a doppler ranging signal from the orbiter when it is around the far side out of direct contact wth the Earth and transmit the signal to Earth to estimate the far-side gravitational field.
