JAXA Launch of KAGUYA/H-IIAF13 Special Site

Countdown Clock:
00:50:00

Some links:
NASA representative blogging in Japan: To the moon with Kaguya
JAXA Kaguya Launch Broadcast (now active; Japanese)
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Launch Service :: Vehicle No. 13
Tanegashima Web Cam (from Tanegashima Space Center)

Friday, September 14, 2007 at 10:31:01 JST
Friday, September 14, 2007 at 01:31:01 UTC
Thursday, September 13, 2007 at 21:31:01 EDT
Thursday, September 13, 2007 at 18:31:01 PDT

Does that Tanegashima launch pad look like Godzilla bait or what?

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I got the video feed but the audio is kinda garbled.


Thanks for the link. I forget it was today...

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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
- Groucho Marx

JAXA Launch of KAGUYA/H-IIAF13 Special Site

Countdown Clock:
00:30:00

Countdown Report: No response; site swamped? Main Mitsubishi page sort of works.

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JAXA Launch of KAGUYA/H-IIAF13 Special Site

Countdown Clock:
00:15:00

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JAXA Launch of KAGUYA/H-IIAF13 Special Site

Countdown Clock:
00:10:00

Tanegashima Web Cam:

tnscnow01.jpg

F13 Launch Sequence:

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JAXA Launch of KAGUYA/H-IIAF13 Special Site

Countdown Clock:
00:05:00

Weather go

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Countdown Clock:
00:03:00

Auto countdown started
All go
Internal power

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Countdown Clock:
00:01:00

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Liftoff

Go, Kaguya!

SSB ignited

SSB jettisoned

on schedule

tracking well

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All well

SRB-A jettisoned at 02:05

All normal

Payload fairing jettisoned at 04:25

Coming up:
1st/2nd stages separation 06:48
2nd stage engine 1st ignition 06:54
2nd stage engine 1st cutoff 12:07
2nd stage engine 2nd ignition 40:33
2nd stage engine 2nd cutoff 44:02
Satellite separation 45:32

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1st stage running well

1st/2nd stages separation at 06:48
2nd stage engine 1st ignition at 06:54

Go, second stage!

Coming up:
2nd stage engine 1st cutoff 12:07
2nd stage engine 2nd ignition 40:33
2nd stage engine 2nd cutoff 44:02
Satellite separation 45:32

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2nd stage engine 1st cutoff at 12:07

Orbit -- I think; they are replaying the launch on webcast

Should be halfway to Hawaii, now.

Coming up:
Trans Lunar Injection: 2nd stage engine 2nd ignition 40:33 (South of Mexico, west of Chile)
TLI achieved: 2nd stage engine 2nd cutoff 44:02 (Off Chile)
Launch phase is over: Satellite separation 45:32

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It was nice to have some English translation on the key parts of the launch.
The graphics that describe the mission give a rough idea of what the equipment will do and it looks great! There will be a lot of new lunar information soon.

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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
- Groucho Marx

Thanks for all previous updates 01101001
Everything looks good, very nice launch

Seemed to get a good deal of media and public interest in Japan
won't be long before our Moon has another lunar orbiter

After 2 and 1/2 orbits Kaguya is expected to fire its largest thruster to send itself toward the moon (a trip that will take five days).

Trans Lunar Injection: 2nd stage engine 2nd ignition at 40:33 (South of Mexico, west of Chile, very high altitude)

working normally

Coming up:
TLI achieved: 2nd stage engine 2nd cutoff 44:02 (Off Chile)
Launch phase is over: Satellite separation 45:32

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2nd stage engine 2nd cutoff at 44:02

All good

Approaching South America

Coming up:
Launch phase is over: Satellite separation 45:32

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Satellite separation at 45:32

Applause

End of launch

Slowly now, things like solar panel paddle and high-gain antenna will be deployed

Eventually, there will be a injection error correction maneuver using Kaguya's onboard, lower module, main engine

Congratulations to Japan, JAXA, all involved! On to the Moon!

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Watched the webcast w/ my daughter. It was the first time she's watched a launch broadcast live, and it was very exciting for her. As for me, I know the H-2A has had a troubled history, so I was on the edge of my seat too. Great show! Congratulations to JAXA and the people of Japan.

Kaguya Banzai!

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"Transport of the mails, transport of the human voice, transport of flickering pictures - in this century, as in others, our highest accomplishments still have the single aim of bringing men together." St. Exupery

Where is Kaguya now?

I have no idea -- beyond somewhere in the neighborhood of Earth.

The flightplan called for, I think, 2-1/2 loops around Earth before departure to the moon. Over 19 days from launch it would reach an orbit around the moon, finalizing to a circular orbit over 18 more days, 37 total. I just never saw a timeline on the flightplan.

Anyone know where it is in the process now? Has it finished the 2-1/2 loops? They were wide loops, I think, so it could take a bit. It might be in a geocentric parking orbit (Wikipedia SELENE), and lasting days. Or maybe it's not parked, but just in the environs of geocentric, and already on a looping path to breaking free. When will it bid adieu to Earth -- fire its engine? -- and start cruising toward a lunar encounter?

News sources and the mission pages are failing me. Has anyone seen a timeline?

The mission profile presents the sequence of phases and events, but no times. I believe it's somewhere in the multi-day lunar transitional orbit phase; it has separated fom H-IIA, and certainly far from lunar polar orbit insertion.

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Yay. Emily Lakdawalla in Planetary Society News: Kaguya Rockets Toward the Moon provides a timeline, JST:

According to mission profile the Adjustment Maneuver of Revolution Period comes near the end of the orbiting of Earth. That's still several days off. Those must be huge loops, or else the 2-1/2 loops just came from a schematic diagram and there are actually more.

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Emily Lakdawalla, Planetary Society Weblog: Kaguya self-portraits

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Yeah. Those are big loops. KAGUYA (SELENE) Result of the Orbit Control Error Correction Maneuver (ΔVa1) (PDF) 2007 September 17 update:

Earth-Moon distance: about 384,400 kilometers

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As I've said before, onward to the moon!

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I want to go back to the moon.
I don't care which rocket you use, whichever one you pick, I'll like it, I swear.
"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek

Planetary Society News: Kaguya Rockets Toward the Moon (unmarked times JST):

Coming up, about 13 minutes, big main engine burn to get en route to Moon:

• Adjustment Maneuver of Revolution Period September 19, 00:46:01

  Wednesday, September 19, 2007 at 00:46:01 JST
  Tuesday, September 18, 2007 at 15:46:01 UTC
  Tuesday, September 18, 2007 at 11:46:01 EDT
  Tuesday, September 18, 2007 at 08:46:01 PDT

• LOI Conditions Adjusting Maneuver September 30, 18:56:01

  Sunday, September 30, 2007 at 18:56:01 JST
  Sunday, September 30, 2007 at 09:56:01 UTC
  Sunday, September 30, 2007 at 05:56:01 EDT
  Sunday, September 30, 2007 at 02:56:01 PDT

• Lunar Polar Orbit Insertion (LOI) October 3, 21:01:01
• Relay Satellite Release October 9, 00:46:01
• VRAD Satellite Release October 14, 05:37:01
• Science observations begin October 21, 10:27:01

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Update: KAGUYA (SELENE) Period Adjustment Maneuver (ΔVp1), September 19 (PDF) (via Kaguya Topics)

Planned. A few hours ago. I suppose it has happened as scheduled.

So, it seems they're not sticking to the schedule that the Planetary Society has up, reproduced above. And according to the document diagram this is event number 8 (period adjustment maneuver), on the incoming side of the first orbit, with outbound event number 9 (period error correction maneuver) and inbound number 10 (period adjustment maneuver) on the second, and final, orbit of Earth.

So who can possibly figure out what's going on? I give up. I now only plan to monitor what they announce has happened, usually many hours after the fact. No more play-by-play attempts for me.

When they get to event 11 (LOI condition adjustment maneuver) that's got to be on the way to the Moon. That appears to occur toward the end of the month.

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Update: KAGUYA (SELENE) Result of the Period Error Correction Maneuver (ΔVc2), September 21 (PDF) (via Kaguya Topics)

Big loops.

Again, Earth-Moon distance: about 384,400 kilometers

This event #9 was on the outbound leg of the second and final orbit of Earth. There is one more event #10 inbound, probably in a handful of days, and then cruise to the moon begins.

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How old does one have to be to join the Planetary Society?

__________________
I want to go back to the moon.
I don't care which rocket you use, whichever one you pick, I'll like it, I swear.
"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek

I don't think they have a minimum age. They have economical student memberships within their standard memberships, for USAns, just US$20/year.

Planetary Society Membership Programs

Cool. Currently they're offering a premium for joining, an "In the Shadow of the Moon" poster.

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20$ a year... hey, I can do that! Much cheaper than those scuba lessons...

__________________
I want to go back to the moon.
I don't care which rocket you use, whichever one you pick, I'll like it, I swear.
"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek

Update: KAGUYA (SELENE) Period Adjustment Maneuver (ΔVp2), September 29 (PDF) (via Kaguya Topics)

It's #10 in the diagram, the event on the inbound leg of the final loop around Earth. This sets Kaguya cruising to the Moon after it rounds the Earth.

Next event is #11, Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) condition adjustment maneuver (ΔVc3), in transit.

After that, #12 is the Lunar Orbit Insertion Maneuver. Probably October 3, Japan time.

Getting there.

Edit: Got results.

KAGUYA (SELENE) Result of the Period Adjustment Maneuver (ΔVp2), September 30 (PDF) (via Kaguya Topics)

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