Kaguya impacts lunar surface
Posted: Thu, Jun 11, 2009, 7:42 AM ET (1142 GMT)
A Japanese spacecraft completed its mission Wednesday by crashing to the lunar surface. The Japanese space agency JAXA confirmed that the Kaguya spacecraft hit the lunar surface at 2:25 pm EDT (1825 GMT) Wednesday in the Moon's southern hemisphere. The impact point was in darkness, and a flash apparently caused by the impact was observed by at least one telescope on Earth. The orbiter, launched in September 2007, had been gradually lowering its orbit in recent months in preparation for the impact. The impact comes just a week before the launch of another Moon mission, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. A second spacecraft on that launch, LCROSS, will observe the impact of the rocket's upper stage on the Moon before colliding with the Moon itself.
A Japanese spacecraft completed its mission Wednesday by crashing to the lunar surface. The Japanese space agency JAXA confirmed that the Kaguya spacecraft hit the lunar surface at 2:25 pm EDT (1825 GMT) Wednesday in the Moon's southern hemisphere. The impact point was in darkness, and a flash apparently caused by the impact was observed by at least one telescope on Earth. The orbiter, launched in September 2007, had been gradually lowering its orbit in recent months in preparation for the impact. The impact comes just a week before the launch of another Moon mission, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. A second spacecraft on that launch, LCROSS, will observe the impact of the rocket's upper stage on the Moon before colliding with the Moon itself.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Starship explodes during preparations for static-fire test
Posted: Sun, Jun 22 6:52 AM ET (1052 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Tuesday, July 1
Move over Starlink, here comes Kuiper
Gulf News — 4:58 am ET (0858 GMT) USSF Seeks Industry Ideas For Space-Based Interceptors
Aviation Week — 4:57 am ET (0857 GMT) Don’t forget about Iran’s space program
POLITICO — 4:54 am ET (0854 GMT) EU Space Act is ‘orbital equivalent of GDPR’, says lawyer
Luxembourg Times — 4:53 am ET (0853 GMT) Poland’s second ever astronaut is safe in space
Euro Weekly News — 4:49 am ET (0849 GMT) |
