Say hello to Hello Kitty, the first doll to make it into space as an astronaut.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said sending Hello Kitty into space as a "passenger" in a Japanese satellite was a government funded mission to push and promote Japan's high-tech industry and help spur the country's economic growth.

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Hello Kitty is a passenger aboard the Hodoyoshi-3 satellite developed by Japanese researchers as part of a US$40 million program funded by the Ministry of Education and Science. The doll is the best known symbol of "kawaii" or cuteness.

The researcher in charge of the project, Toshiki Tanaka of Tokyo's Nano-Satellite Center, said the goal of the project is to get more private companies interested in working with satellites.

Developers sought to partner with Sanrio first by placing a four centimeter tall Hello Kitty doll aboard the Hodoyoshi-3.

In order to prepare the doll for space travel, researchers coated Hello Kitty with a special paint meant to protect it from UV rays, cosmic rays and the vacuum of space.

Researchers have also been working on maneuvering the satellite to point it directly towards Earth for the perfect Hello Kitty backdrop. Many Hello Kitty fans are interested in space.

"Through this project we can make those people interested and stimulate their scientific curiosity. We can move their hearts," said Tanaka.

It is also worth noting that this year marks the 40th anniversary of Sanrio, whose most famous popular character is Hello Kitty, which has become a national icon of Japan.

The Hello Kitty character has been used to market a large array of products, from plush toys to aircraft, and now space endeavors.

The Hodoyoshi-3 is primarily intended for technological verification in space. It's set to test an Earth observation camera with a nominal 40 meter x 200 meter resolution.

It was also sent into space to test specific parts for the Hodoyoshi-4. It's secondary mission is to measure water levels in rivers to monitor floods.

TagsHello Kitty, Hodoyoshi-3