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Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

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KAGUYA (SELENE)
Result of the Separation of the VRAD Satellite (Vstar)

October 12, 2007 (JST)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) performed the separation
operation of one of the onboard baby satellites, the VRAD (Very Long
Baseline Interferometer) Satellite* of the "KAGUYA" (SELENE.) The VRAD
satellite was released at 1:28 p.m. on October 12, 2007 (Japan
Standard Time, JST). The KAGUYA is a lunar explorer that was launched
by the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 13 (H-IIA F13) on September 14, 2007,
(JST) from the Tanegashima Space Center. Both the KAGUYA and VRAD
satellite are confirmed to be in good health.

Images of the separation of the VRAD satellite taken by the KAGUYA
onboard camera are shown in Attachment.

The other baby satellite, the Relay satellite, and the VRAD satellite
are respectively nicknamed "OKINA" meaning an "honorable elderly man"
and "OUNA" meaning an "honorable elderly woman."**

* VRAD Satellite: a baby satellite of the KAGUYA that is equipped with
a radiowave source for observing the gravity field of the Moon

** OKINA and OUNA

"OKINA" and "OUNA" were selected from nominations proposed by the
people related to the SELENE project. The names stem from the Japanese
classic story The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Taketori Monogatari,)
which most Japanese are very familiar with, as the "KAGUYA" originates
from "Kaguya-hime (Princess Kaguya)" in that tale.
Princess Kaguya was found by an old man ("OKINA") in a bamboo and was
brought up by the man and his wife ("OUNA") with great care. Please
refer to the following website for the outline of the tale.

[http://www.jaxa.jp/countdown/f13/special/nickname_e.html]

The Relay and VRAD satellites are flying in a higher orbit than the
main satellite, KAGUYA, as if they are watching over the KAGUYA as its
guardians. Therefore, we selected "OKINA" and "OUNA" as their
nicknames.

Attachment

http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2007/10/20071012_kaguya_e.html#at01

You can also check this information on the following Special Site:

[http://www.jaxa.jp/countdown/f13/index_e.html]

This page URL:

http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2007/10/20071012_kaguya_e.html

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Publisher : Public Affairs Department
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Marunouchi Kitaguchi Building,
1-6-5, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8260
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TEL:+81-3-6266-6400

JAXA WEB SITE :

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