Suisei facts for kids
Suisei (すいせい) was a special spacecraft from Japan. Its name, "Suisei," means "Comet" in Japanese. This mission was very important because it was Japan's very first time sending a spacecraft to explore beyond Earth's orbit, heading towards another planet or comet!
Suisei was an unmanned space probe, which means it didn't have any people on board. It was launched into space on August 18, 1985. Its main job was to study a famous visitor to our Solar System called Halley's Comet. This comet passes close to Earth only once every 75 to 76 years, and Suisei was sent to meet it during its visit in 1986.
Who Launched Suisei?
The Suisei mission was a big project led by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science. This institute was part of the University of Tokyo at the time. They designed and built Suisei to gather important information about Halley's Comet. Later, this institute became part of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), which is Japan's main space agency today.
What Did Suisei Do?
Suisei's main goal was to get a close look at Halley's Comet. It carried special cameras and instruments to study the comet's "coma," which is the huge cloud of gas and dust that surrounds the comet's icy center. Scientists wanted to learn more about what comets are made of and how they behave as they travel through space.
The spacecraft successfully flew past Halley's Comet in March 1986, sending back valuable data. This information helped scientists around the world understand more about these mysterious icy travelers from the outer reaches of our solar system.
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Suisei (Planet-A) mission profile
- NASA, Suisei mission
