In the area of space exploration, Mamiya said that JAXA is drawing from a lineage of solar system probe launches starting back in 1985. Upcoming is the highly anticipated liftoff of Selene - a huge, 3-ton spacecraft designed to orbit the Moon.
"Selene is the largest and most sophisticated lunar mission since Apollo," Mamiya reported, and is being readied for sendoff this summer. Orbiting the Moon for a nominal 10 months, Selene is loaded with science gear "which should enrich our knowledge about the origin and evolution of the Moon."
Mamiya said that JAXA space planners are also working on a Selene 2 for 2012 and a Selene X in 2017.
JAXA's road map in space exploration also includes the Planet C mission to Venus in 2010; a Hayabusa 2 asteroid sample return in 2011, a Mercury orbiter in 2013; and dispatching a probe to Jupiter.
The Japanese are definitely moving up aggressively in their space exploration plans. VERY aggressively. Interestingly, I see very little slated there for Mars. Given everyone else's interest in it right now that's...interesting.
>I see very little slated there for >Mars. Given everyone else's interest >in it right nowthat's...interesting.
ReplyDeleteMars is overcrowded by now - three orbiters sending images, and two active rovers. And more still to come ...
So it makes actually sense not to go to Mars - it is much more easier to find interesting stuff on mercury or even moon, which have been mostly neglected since the 70s.
Andreas Morlok
Andreas