Word: orbital
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...probe on its way to the moon, the first lunar mission since the Soviets' Luna 24 in 1976. Muses-A is expected to come within 16,000 km (10,000 miles) of the target in mid-March. It will then release a smaller probe, which will go into lunar orbit. If all goes as planned, Japan will become only the third country in history to reach earth's closest neighbor...
...prelude to future unmanned missions that may land on the moon and explore the atmosphere of Venus. At the same time, Japan is building a new booster rocket that could make the country a strong competitor in the burgeoning business of launching commercial satellites into earth orbit. The Japanese have announced no plans for manned space flights, but they are considering the possibility. Already their companies have begun developing construction techniques for use in building bases on the moon and even Mars...
...those reasons, Japan was a late bloomer in space. It did not put its first satellite into earth orbit until 1970, six months after the U.S. landed men on the moon. But Japan has come on fast by stressing efficiency and borrowing rocket technology from other nations. For example, the country's workhorse launcher, the H-1, is a modified version of the 30-year-old U.S. Delta rocket. Most striking is Japan's record of consistency: ISAS has had only two failures in 19 launches, both in the 1970s...