Kaguya expected to solve moon's mysteries, excite people
(From The Japan Times Sept. 22 issue)

月探査衛星「かぐや」に期待する

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the Kaguya lunar exploration probe Sept. 14. It is now on its way to the moon, 380,000 km away. Kaguya marks the biggest moon mission since the 1969-72 U.S. Apollo flights. It is hoped that the probe, launched by an H-2A rocket, will obtain valuable clues to the origin and evolution of the moon.

It is also hoped that high-resolution images of the moon sent from Kaguya's camera will excite people worldwide, including children, and help them develop an interest in space science.

Kaguya's main orbiter is expected to start orbiting the moon three weeks after the launch and go into a circular observation orbit 100 km above the moon in late October. It is also expected to start transmitting scientific data to JAXA within the year. In addition to the main orbiter — 2.1 meters long, 2.1 meters wide and 4.8 meters high — Kaguya has two 50-kg satellites that will be placed in elliptical orbits to study the moon's gravitational fields.

Kaguya, a culmination of Japan's satellite engineering, incorporates observation technology much more advanced than that used in the Apollo program. The main orbiter, which will remain in position for about a year, is equipped with 14 scientific instruments. They will carry out such missions as probing distribution of elements and minerals, studying lunar magnetic fields and particles, and taking images of the magnetosphere and ionosphere of the Earth.

A terrain camera will make three-dimensional images of the lunar surface. The data collected will help find an answer to the question of when and how the moon was formed.

Kaguya heralds a new lunar exploration age. China is expected to send a satellite to the moon by the end of the year. India and the United States are expected to follow suit in 2008, and Russia in 2012.

Unfortunately, Japan, the United States and China are not parties to the 1979 U.N. Moon Agreement, which bans owning resources or property on the moon. Japan should lead efforts to form an international framework for exploration of the moon.

宇宙航空研究開発機構によって14日に打ち上げられた月探査衛星「かぐや」は現在、38万キロ離れた月に向かっている。1969〜72年の米アポロ計画以来の月探査計画となる「かぐや」は月の起源、進化についての謎を解いてくれることが期待される。

「かぐや」から送られてくる高解像度画像は世界の人々の宇宙科学に対する興味を喚起させるだろう。

「かぐや」は打ち上げ後3週間で月の軌道に到着、10月下旬には月面上空100キロの観測用の周回軌道に入る予定で、年内にはデータ送信を始める。

日本ばかりでなく、今後月探査衛星打ち上げを予定している米国、中国も、月の資源の保有、開発を禁じる「国連月協定」（1979）に加盟していない。日本は月探査の国際的枠組みを設定する取り組みに指導的役割を果たすべきだ。