Hiten (spacecraft)

Japanese lunar orbiter

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]

Hiten

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

  1. NASA, Hiten-Hagoromo mission profile Archived 2008-02-05 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-4-16.
  2. JAXA, "Catalogue of ISAS Missions" Archived 2014-12-31 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-4-16.
  3. The lunar orbiter was named after the feather mantle of Hiten

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