KAGUYA (SELENE)

On September 14, 2007, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched KAGUYA (SELENE) -- SELenological and ENgineering Explorer -- by an H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center. KAGUYA reached the Moon after about a one-month cruise and became the first Japanese lunar orbiter. Major objectives of the KAGUYA mission are to obtain scientific data of lunar origin and evolution, to develop technology for future lunar exploration and the possibility of future human activities on the Moon.

JAXA is the primary source for all KAGUYA (SELENE) data and provides data search and download capabilities. The latest releases of data from the various payload elements can be found on the SELENE Data Archive at http://l2db.selene.darts.isas.jaxa.jp/index.html.en.

The Lunar Imager/SpectroMeter (LISM) consists of three sub-systems: Terrain Camera (TC), Multi-band Imager (MI) and Spectral Profiler (SP). LISM will obtain topographic and mineralogical data of the Moon surface which can be used for mapping of detailed geological units of the Moon surface and identification of materials in each unit.

The Laser ALtimeter (LALT) is one of the instruments onboard the KAGUYA main orbiter for laser ranging from the satellite to the surface of the Moon in the nadir direction. LALT is able to obtain range data globally along satellite's trajectory on the polar orbit. The range data of LALT will enable us for the first time in the world to construct a global, accurate and precise topographic map of the Moon.