Japanese Moon Mission

In 2007, Japan launched the Kaguya Orbiter, also known as SELENE, the nation's first lunar satellite. Kaguya entered orbit around the Moon and released two smaller satellites in order to map and study the lunar surface. The orbiter entered successfully entered lunar orbit, and is currently performing its scheduled tasks.¹

Fast Facts

1. Official name: Selenological and Engineering Explorer (SELENE)
2. Official nickname: KAGUYA
3. Nickname derived from a legendary moon princess from Japanese folklore
4. Cost: 32 billion yen ($279 million USD)²
5. Launched on September 14, 2007
6. Entered orbit around the Moon on October 18, 2007
7. Completed systems check and began operations on December 21, 2007¹

International Rivalries

The launch of the Kaguya Orbiter came at a time when Japan was in fierce competition with other Asian countries, chiefly China and India. Kaguya's launch was delayed four years,² and pre-dated China's Chang'e 1 launch by only a few weeks.

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