Japan launches an H-2A rocket carrying the Selenological and Engineering Explorer, the country's first lunar probe satellite, on Friday from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Kagoshima Prefecture.

The rocket, which is named "Kaguya" after Japanese ancient fable, lifted off as scheduled at 10:31 AM from the center on the Pacific off Japan's southern Kyushu Island. The satellite and the launch vehicle successfully separated at 11:16 AM.

The satellite has entered the projected orbit to run around the earth twice, after which it will start its about 20 days of journey to reach the moon, agency officials said.

Kaguya, which consists of a 3-ton main orbiter and two 50- kilogram sub-satellites, is equipped with 14 scientific instruments and a high-definition television camera, according to the agency's introduction.

The rocket was made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. This is the first time for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to contract with a company on the construction and launch of a rocket in order to reduce costs and boost Japan's international competitiveness in the space business, Kyodo News said.

Kaguya will be the highest performing lunar probe satellite and start the world's first full-scale mission to explore the moon since the US Apollo program, Kyodo quoted agency officials as saying.

Under the 55 billion yen project, the satellite is to begin its 10-month mission around December, collecting lunar features related with the origin and evolution of the moon.

Kaguya's originally planned launch was in August, when fault installment of two components postponed the schedule.

(Xinhua News Agency September 14, 2007)