Japan's first lunar orbiter successfully blasted into space yesterday on the most extensive mission to investigate the moon since the US Apollo program began nearly four decades ago, officials said.
A domestically developed rocket launched with no glitches from Tanegashima, the remote island where the agency's space center is located, at 10:31am carrying the country's hopes of restoring pride in its troubled space program.
The orbiter separated from the H-2A rocket about 45 minutes after it took off from the Space Center, the space agency said.
PHOTO: AFP/ JIJI PRESS
"The launch was a success," declared Kaoru Mamiya, vice president of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Tokyo.
"The probe detached from the rocket as expected 45 minutes after lift-off and all the subsequent phases were carried out correctly," said Yoshisada Takizawa, the head of the project.
The lunar orbiter, aiming to collect data for research of the moon's origin and evolution, will travel around the Earth before moving into an orbit of the moon early next month, officials said.
The agency says the one-year lunar mission, which is several years behind schedule because of technical mishaps, is the most extensive since the US Apollo program began in the 1960s, putting the first astronaut on the moon.
The explorer was named Kaguya after a beautiful princess who charms many men before ascending to her home, the moon, in a popular Japanese folk tale.
The ?55 billion (US$478 million) probe will consist of a main unit, which will orbit 100km above the moon, and two small satellites.
It will gather data on the distribution of chemical elements and minerals as well as on topographical and surface structures.
The mission aims to study the gravity field and environment of the moon while searching for hydrogen, which is required for water.
"Japan aims to build a station on the surface of the moon in 2025 and so we need to understand the moon. We need to develop the fundamental technology," said Satoki Kurokawa, another spokesman for the agency.
Japan has been expanding its space operations and has set a goal of sending an astronaut to the moon by 2020. It faced an embarrassing failure in November 2003, when it had to destroy a rocket carrying a spy satellite 10 minutes after lift-off because a booster failed to separate.
The setback came just a month after China became the third country to carry out a manned space mission. China is pressing ahead with a program that includes space walks and dockings.
With the lunar orbiter, Japan hopes to keep one step ahead of China and other regional rivals like India, which are also expected to launch similar probes soon.
"This program is very important for science throughout the world. If it is completed successfully, it will push back the frontiers of humanity beyond Earth and heighten Japan's technological status," said Hajime Inoue, director of space research at JAXA.
China is expected to launch its Chang'e 1 probe as early as this month, to be followed by India's Chandrayaan 1 later this year.
See:
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS