June 10, 2009 7:01 AM PDT
Having carried out observations of the moon from lower altitudes since February 1, the Kaguya orbiter will conclude its two-year mission through a controlled impact on the lunar surface at 6:30 p.m. GMT on Wednesday, on the near side, night time area. Using the laser pulse transmitting Laser Altimeter (LALT) on board the Kaguya, JAXA acquired data covering the entire moon's surface, including the polar regions that previous lunar explorations had not investigated. The mapping mission produced topographical maps of the moon, recording more than 6 million data points.
Photo by JAXA/NHK
Caption by James Martin
