LUNAR-A
Lunar-A was a planned lunar probe of the Japanese space agency JAXA which was supposed to start after numerous postponements in 2010 (original start date was 1995). In January 2007 it was announced that JAXA had canceled the mission because the probe body, which had already been completed, had become obsolete and unusable. The launch should have taken place with an MV rocket. The production of the MV was stopped in 2006. The space probe would have had a mass of 540 kg (including supplies). Her tasks would have been to explore the lunar surface, monitor lunar quakes, measure the thermal conditions and heat flow near the lunar surface, and study the lunar core and internal structure.
Lunar A would have carried two penetrators equipped with seismometers to measure moonquakes and sensors to measure the flow of heat. The penetrators would penetrate the lunar soil and take their measurements there directly. JAXA intends to continue the development of the penetrators and to complete them at the end of 2007 in order to be able to use them on a probe from another nation. In addition, JAXA plans to use penetrators on targets other than the moon.
Web links
- Website of the Japanese space research institute ISAS on LUNAR-A ( Memento from September 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
- Lunar Exploration Satellite "LUNAR-A" (English)
- LUNAR-A in the NSSDCA Master Catalog (English)
- Report on the status of the mission for summer 2006 (PDF, 2.2 MiB)
- Images of LUNAR-A in the JAXA Digital Archives (English)
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- ↑ NASA: International Participation in Lunar Exploration ( Memento from June 19, 2006 in the Internet Archive ), January 24, 2005 (English, PDF; 1.2 MB)
- ↑ Japanese moon mission deleted . Spektrum.de, January 18, 2007.
- ↑ Japan's Moon mission in jeopardy . CBC, January 15, 2007 (English)