After a one-day weather delay, Japan's Kaguya lunar explorer launched early this morning, local time, in what some scientists are calling the "largest lunar mission since NASA’s Apollo program."
The liftoff marks part of a growing international race to the moon, with space programs around the world on their way there. China and India have launches scheduled this year and next, NASA has a lunar observation satellite slated for late next year, and both the United States and Russia are talking about manned missions back to the moon's surface by the middle of next decade.
Perhaps even more exciting (particularly here at Wired) – the X-Prize folks have announced a 30 million prize for the first private team to successfully launch and operate a lunar rover.
The main Japanese probe will orbit the moon at a distance about about
62 miles, for a planned year-long mission. Fourteen devices are on board, that will gather data on lunar chemical element distribution, mineral distribution, topography and surface structures, gravity field and the environment of the Moon.
The hope, as with other upcoming missions, is to learn more about how the moon evolved. But the data will also be useful in preparing for other future missions.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) officials said the rocket launched smoothly, and the Kaguya explorer separated from the launch vehicle without problems, 45 minutes after liftoff.
JAXA Kayuga Site
(Photo Credits: JAXA)
