SELENE-2

SELENE-2
Mission typeOrbiter
lander
rover
OperatorJAXA[1]
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass5,000 kg[1]
Start of mission
Launch dateCancelled [2]
RocketH-IIA
Orbital parameters
Reference systemSelenocentric

SELENE-2 /ˈsɛlɪniː/, or the Selenological and Engineering Explorer 2, is a cancelled Japanese robotic mission to the Moon that would have included an orbiter, a lander and a rover.[3] It was intended as a successor to the 2007 SELENE (Kaguya) lunar orbiter.[4]

Instead of SELENE-2, JAXA is working with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to plan a joint mission called the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX).[5][6][7][8] The mission would send an uncrewed lunar lander and rover to explore the south pole region of the Moon no earlier than 2026.[9] JAXA is likely to provide the under-development H3 launch vehicle and the rover, while ISRO would be providing the lander.[10]

  1. ^ a b Lunar Polar Exploration Mission. Tatsuaki Hashimoto, Takeshi Hoshino, Sachiko Wakabayashi, etal. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). 6 January 2017.
  2. ^ Mission Concepts of Unprecedented Zipangu Underworld of the Moon Exploration (UZUME) Project. (PDF). Junichi HARUYAMA, Isao KAWANO, Takashi KUBOTA, etal. J-Stage. 3 July 2015. Accessed: 24 September 2018. Quote: "SELENE-2 was a mission with an intention to send a landing module to the Moon, and a lunar hole was a candidate for the landing site. However, the SELENE-2 mission was officially terminated in March 2015."
  3. ^ Srinivas Laxman (2012-07-16). "Japan SELENE-2 Lunar Mission Planned For 2017". Asian Scientist. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  4. ^ "Moon lander SELENE-2". JAXA Space Exploration Center. 24 December 2009. Archived from the original on 23 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  5. ^ "ISRO working on ambitious lunar missions LUPEX, Chandrayaan-4: Official". The Economic Times. 2023-11-17. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  6. ^ "India's next Moon shot will be bigger, in pact with Japan". The Times of India. 8 September 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2021. For our next mission — Chandrayaan-3 — which will be accomplished in collaboration with JAXA (Japanese Space Agency), we will invite other countries too to participate with their payloads.
  7. ^ "Global Exploration Roadmap - Supplement August 2020 - Lunar Surface Exploration Scenario Update" (PDF). NASA. August 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. ^ "ISRO's next Moon mission in collaboration with Japanese space agency gathers steam". The Economic Times. 2023-08-22. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  9. ^ 4th IPSC 2023 Inauguration. 2023-03-22. Event occurs at 1:18:09.
  10. ^ "Episode 82: JAXA and International Collaboration with Professor Fujimoto Masaki". Astro Talk UK. 4 January 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2021.