What is "hisaki"

Hisaki may refer to:

• Hisaki (satellite), a Japanese space telescope
• Hisaki Matsuura, a Japanese poet
• A geographical feature in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan

Hisaki, also known as the Spectroscopic Planet Observatory for Recognition of Interaction of Atmosphere (SPRINT-A) is a Japanese ultraviolet astronomy satellite operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The first mission of the Small Scientific Satellite programme, it was launched in September 2013 on the maiden flight of the Epsilon rocket.

Hisaki was named after a cape used by local fishermen to pray for safe travels in the eastern part of Kimotsuki, Kagoshima near the Uchinoura Space Center, but has the additional meaning of "beyond the Sun". An old name for the mission was EXCEED (Extreme Ultraviolet Spectroscope for Exospheric Dynamics).