SELENE

Selenological and Engineering Explorer, Kaguya

Mission Profile

SELENE (Selenological and Engineering Explorer, Kaguya) was JAXA's second lunar explorer and the largest Japanese lunar mission, launched on 14 September 2007 aboard an H-IIA and entering lunar orbit in October 2007. The 1,984 kg main orbiter carried 14 scientific instruments to study the Moon's origin, evolution, surface, subsurface structure, and space environment, accompanied by two small relay and VRAD sub-satellites. Kaguya produced the most detailed global topographic map of the Moon ever compiled at the time, observed signatures of water ice at the lunar poles, and captured striking high-definition video of the lunar surface with its onboard HDTV cameras. The mission concluded with a controlled lunar impact in June 2009 after 18 months of highly productive scientific operations.