JAXA, the Japanese space agency, is delaying its Kaguya lunar orbiter mission from its August 16th sendoff.

According to one report, JAXA engineers have found problems with an onboard electronic part used in the Kaguya mission, finding them to have been wrongly installed.

JAXA specialists had found a similar problem in preparing the Wideband Internetworking Engineering Test and Demonstration Satellite (WINDS) - a finding that caused the relook of Kaguya and its subsatellites to be deployed in Moon orbit.

Kaguya is a huge lunar orbiter and was formerly known as SELENE, for SELenological and ENgineering Explorer. The spacecraft consists of a main orbiter and two small subsatellites. Sure enough, the polarity of onboard condensors — one each within the subsatellites — were found to be installed in reverse position.

No immediate word as yet on how lengthy the delay will be.

According to a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries/JAXA statement: “The new launch date will be announced as soon as it is determined.”