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

↑ 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

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Hiten (MUSES-C) mission profile Archived 2011-04-15 at the Wayback Machine

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[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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