By SHOKO TAMAKI/ Staff Writer
January 12, 2024 at 18:31 JST
Carrying a spy and natural disaster information satellite, the H-2A Launch Vehicle No. 48 lifts off on Jan. 12 from the Tanegashima Space Center. (Soichiro Yamamoto)
TANEGASHIMA, Kagoshima Prefecture--A government spy satellite was successfully placed into orbit on Jan. 12.
The H-2A Launch Vehicle No. 48 blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center here at around 1:45 p.m. and its payload was later confirmed to be in orbit.
The satellite will not only gather national security intelligence, it will be used to better understand the scope of major natural disasters.
An optical satellite can take color photographs of the Earth’s surface, while a radar satellite can take photographs at night or in cloudy weather.
The government now has five satellites operating in space, including one that can quickly transmit high-definition data to Earth, according to the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center.
The goal is to operate 10 satellites at once to take photos at times not currently covered.
There are plans for only two more launches of the H-2A Launch Vehicle.
Its successor, the H-3 rocket, has had a rough start, with its first launch in March 2023 ending in failure. A second launch is scheduled for Feb. 15.
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