SELENE 70 µm (0.0003 in) per character. The sheet was installed under the photovoltaic modules and cooling panels beneath the multi-layered insulation. Major results include: SELENE was part of a renewed global interest in lunar exploration; it was "the largest lunar mission since the Apollo program". It followed Japan's first lunar probe, Hagoromo, launched in 1990. China launched its Chang'e 1 lunar explorer on October 24, 2007, followed by India's 22 October 2008 launch of Chandrayaan-1 and the United States Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in June 2009. The United States, European countries (ESA), Russia, Japan, India and China are planning future manned
Explorer 9 Explorer 9 Explorer 9, known as S-56A before launch, was an American satellite which was launched in 1961 to study the density and composition of the upper thermosphere and lower exosphere. It was a reflight of the failed S-56 mission, and consisted of a , balloon which was deployed into a medium Earth orbit. The mission was conducted by NASA's Langley Research Center. Explorer 9 was launched from Launch Area 3 at the Wallops Flight Center, atop a Scout X-1 rocket with the serial number ST-4. It was the first spacecraft launched from Wallops Island to achieve orbit, with one