Haruka

Mission

Haruka

• Type: Astrophysics
• Orbit: Elliptical Orbit

HALCA (Highly Advanced Laboratory for Communication and Astronomy), a.k.a. VSOP (Very Large Baseline Interferometry Space Observatory Programme) or Muses-B, is the first astronomical satellite dedicated to Very-Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI). It was launched on its maiden flight by ISAS’s M-5 [KM-V1] launch vehicle from Kagoshima Space Center on 12 February 1997.

Location

Mu Center

Uchinoura Space Center, Japan

Mu Center has witnessed the launch of 36 rockets, including 36 orbital launch attempts, while Uchinoura Space Center, Japan, has been the site for 43 rocket launches.

Rocket

IHI Corporation M-V

The M-V rocket also called Mu-5 was a Japanese solid-fuel rocket designed to launch scientific satellites.

Agency

Institute of Space and Astronautical Science

ISAS is a Japanese national research organization of astrophysics using rockets, astronomical satellites and interplanetary probes which played a major role in Japan’s space development.