Japan's first large lunar probe, launched in 2007, to collect scientific data to help ascertain the origin and evolution of the Moon. It will also aid the development of technology for future lunar exploration. The probe was launched by an H-IIA rocket (see h rocket) and continues to make astonishing discoveries. In 2010, SELENE mapped the global distribution of olivine on the lunar surface, revealing rich sites forming concentric rings around craters, indicating a possible mantle origin for the mineral. In October 2017, SELENE confirmed that multiple lunar lava tubes exist intact on the Moon, extending a few to several tens of metres in depth underneath the volcanic region.

http://global.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/selene/ SELENE lunar mission.