北京时间9月14日上午9点31分，日本探月卫星“月亮女神”号发射升空，主要任务是观测月球表面地形、研究元素分布等。搭载“月亮女神”号探测器的H-2A火箭当天在距东京南部1000公里左右的太平洋小岛上发射升空。日本研究人员称，这是日本2025年建立载人太空站的第一步。

A video grab shows the rocket carrying the three-tonne SELENE orbiter blast off from the island of Tanegashima, about 1,000 km south of Tokyo, September 14, 2007. [sina.com]

Japan launches a H-2A rocket carrying the Selenological and Engineering Explorer, the country's first lunar probe satellite, on Friday from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Kagoshima Prefecture.

The rocket, which is named "Kaguya" after Japanese ancient fable, lifted off as scheduled at 10:31 a.m. from the center on the Pacific off Japan's southern Kyushu Island. The satellite and the launch vehicle successfully separated at 11:16 a.m.

The satellite has entered the projected orbit to run around the earth twice, after which it will start its about 20 days of journey to reach the moon, agency officials said.

Kaguya, which consists of a 3-ton main orbiter and two 50- kilogram sub-satellites, is equipped with 14 scientific instruments and a high-definition television camera.

This is the first time for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to contract with a company on the construction and launch of a rocket in order to reduce costs and boost Japan's international competitiveness in the space business, Kyodo News said.

Kaguya will be the highest performing lunar probe satellite and start the world's first full-scale mission to explore the moon since the U.S. Apollo program, Kyodo quoted agency officials as saying.

Under the 55 billion yen project, the satellite is to begin its 10-month mission around December, collecting lunar features related with the origin and evolution of the moon.

(Xinhua)

Vocabulary:

Selenological and Engineering Explorer：月球工程探测器

lunar probe satellite：探月卫星

（英语点津 于楠 编辑）