SELENE lunar exploration missions or lunar outpost construction on the Moon between 2018 and 2025. SELENE SELENE (; Selenological and Engineering Explorer), better known in Japan by its nickname , was the second Japanese lunar orbiter spacecraft following the Hiten probe. Produced by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) and the National Space Development Agency (NASDA), the spacecraft was launched on September 14, 2007. After successfully orbiting the Moon for a year and eight months, the main orbiter was instructed to impact on the lunar surface near the crater Gill on June 10, 2009. The orbiter's nickname, Kaguya, was
Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) is a satellite to conduct a 26-month study of noctilucent clouds (NLCs). It is the ninetieth Explorer program mission and is part of the NASA-funded Small Explorer program (SMEX). On April 25, 2007 AIM was boosted into a high polar orbit by a Pegasus-XL rocket, which was air-launched from the Lockheed L-1011 "Stargazer" aircraft operated by Orbital Sciences. The AIM satellite is a , by spacecraft, powered by two solar arrays, carrying three instruments: The noctilucent clouds AIM is to study, also known as Polar mesospheric