SATELLITES & SPACE PROBES A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z           HOME ABOUT CATEGORIES SITE MAP COPYRIGHT ADVERTISE CONTACT entire Web this site Hiten A Japanese lunar probe, launched by ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science), that made multiple flybys of the Moon from an extremely elliptical Earth orbit and released Hagoromo, a smaller satellite, into lunar orbit. Hiten itself was put into lunar orbit in Feb. 1992 and crashed into the Moon on Apr. 10, 1993. It was the first lunar probe not launched by the United States or Russia. Hiten, which means "celestial maiden," was known before launch as MUSES-A. launch date Jan. 24, 1990 launch vehicle M-3S launch site Kagoshima orbit 262 × 285,183 km × 30.6° mass 185 kg Related entry     • Moon, unmanned spacecraft Related categories    • SATELLITES AND SPACE PROBES    • JAPANESE SPACECRAFT    • MOON TOPICS    • JAPAN IN SPACE Also on this site: Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living Encyclopedia of History Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site) BACK TO TOP