Japan Delays Launch of Lunar Probe

TOKYO (AP) _ The launch of Japan's first lunar probe will be delayed for at least three years because of defective equipment, officials said today. The launch of the Lunar-A _ originally planned for the summer of 1997 _ had already been postponed twice by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science because of mechanical problems. The latest decision followed the failed testing last year of two spear-shaped ``penetrators'' used to monitor seismic activity on the moon, said Yasunori Matogawa, the scientist in charge of the project. During the final round of tests conducted in New Mexico, the penetrators _ which will be hammered into the moon's surface _ cracked, destroying measurement circuits and making it impossible to collect some data, Matogawa said. He said another series of testing will be needed, forcing the launch to be postponed until April 2002 at the earliest. Despite the delay, Japan is still expected to remain the world leader in lunar probe technology, Matogawa said. The project is aimed at collecting lunar seismic data to estimate the size of the moon's core and its formation.