Japan launches MUSES-C asteroid mission
Posted: Fri, May 9, 2003, 9:04 AM ET (1304 GMT)
A M-5 rocket successfully launched the first asteroid sample return mission early Friday. The M-5 rocket lifted off from the Kagoshima Space Center in southern Japan at 12:29 am EDT (0429 GMT) Friday and put the MUSES-C spacecraft on a trajectory towards the asteroid 1998 SF36. MUSES-C is scheduled to arrive at the asteroid in mid-2005, after completing an Earth flyby next year. The asteroid will spend five months at the asteroid, conducting observation as well as gathering a tiny sample of the asteroid itself. MUSES-C will depart the asteroid in late 2005 and return to Earth in mid-2007. The sample will return to Earth in a reentry capsule that will parachute to the surface in the Australian outback. The mission is Japan's first to an asteroid, as well as the first mission by any nation to return an asteroid sample to the Earth. The launch was the first for the solid-propellant M-5 rocket since the launch failure of ASTRO-E astronomy spacecraft in February 2000.
A M-5 rocket successfully launched the first asteroid sample return mission early Friday. The M-5 rocket lifted off from the Kagoshima Space Center in southern Japan at 12:29 am EDT (0429 GMT) Friday and put the MUSES-C spacecraft on a trajectory towards the asteroid 1998 SF36. MUSES-C is scheduled to arrive at the asteroid in mid-2005, after completing an Earth flyby next year. The asteroid will spend five months at the asteroid, conducting observation as well as gathering a tiny sample of the asteroid itself. MUSES-C will depart the asteroid in late 2005 and return to Earth in mid-2007. The sample will return to Earth in a reentry capsule that will parachute to the surface in the Australian outback. The mission is Japan's first to an asteroid, as well as the first mission by any nation to return an asteroid sample to the Earth. The launch was the first for the solid-propellant M-5 rocket since the launch failure of ASTRO-E astronomy spacecraft in February 2000.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Space Force picks 14 companies for GEO surveillance program
Posted: Sat, Apr 11 10:34 AM ET (1434 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, April 12
New FCC rule will make Starlink satellite internet faster and cheaper
Mashable — 4:06 am ET (0806 GMT) 6 mind-blowing space missions now set to launch after Artemis II
Science Focus — 4:04 am ET (0804 GMT) Artemis II crew used modern photography to tell the visual story of their lunar journey – and update some classic Apollo images
The Conversation — 4:03 am ET (0803 GMT) Scotland 'on track' to become key centre in European spaceflight
The Scotsman — 4:03 am ET (0803 GMT) Bill Maher is not convinced by the Artemis II mission: ‘Let’s fix the ----show on Earth’
The Independent — 4:02 am ET (0802 GMT) |
