Mitsubishi Heavy Succeeds in Launching Spy Satellite #7

H2A #41 launched carrying the government payload of information gathering satellite optical #7. February 9, 2020, Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) successfully launched its H2A rocket #41 from Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima, Japan at 10:34 a.m. (JST) on February 9, 2020. The booster had a payload of the government of Japan: Information Gathering Satellite Kogaku (Optical) #7.

H2A launching  of the day marked 35th success consecutively and its non-failure rate reached to 97.6%.

  After the launching of ballistic missile in 1998 by North Korea, Japan started its program to develop indigenous spy satellite constellation.  Today two optical sensor satellites and two radar satellites are orbiting the globe and Japan can take photography of all points on earth once per day.

The Kogaku #7 is to succeed #5 of the same type launched in March 2015. With the successful launching of the #7, operation of eight satellites, including old generation birds that surpassed design longevity has been possible by the satellite information center under the Cabinet Office. ■

Feb 27, 2018: Japan Succeeds to Launch New Spy Satellite

H2A#38 just launched with information gathering satellite ‘Optical #6’, 1:34pm, JST, Tanegashim Space Center, Kagoshima　

H2A rocket #38 was launched 1:34 Japan Standard Time, February 27 with information gathering satellite optics #6 from Tanegashima Space Cener, Kagoshima southern Japan.  The satellite successfully entered scheduled orbit.  The satellite would help to monitor North Korea’s nuclear and missile development from space.

Optics satellite #6 will replace #4 that still functioning after its designed life and it carries sensors effective to photograph daytime.

It is reportedly to have resolution of about 30 cm to distinguish types of automobiles, twice resolution of satellite #4 with 60cm resolution.

Total development cost of the new satellite is about 30.7 billion JPY (about 290 million USD)and launch cost is about 11 billion JPY(103 million USD).

Japan operates two optic satellites and four radar satellites and tries to keep eyes over North Korea to photograph that country once a day at least.

In order to monitor North Korean military facilities more ,GOJ is trying to increase the number of satellites to ten, consisting of 4 optical and radar satellites each and two relaying satellites so that it becomes possible to monitor North Korea once in every 12 hours.

Gathered information is classified for security reason but GOJ released degraded photographs of natural disasters in Japan including heavy rain in northern Kyushu of last July and Mt. Shirane that erupted in January.

H2A, with this launching, made 32 consecutively successful launching with record of success at 97.3%.

Radar Satellite #5 Launched

Japan Succeeded in Launching Radar Satellite #5

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and  the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched H-IIA rocket #33 from Tanegashima Space Center, southern part of Japan, at 10:20:00 Japan Standard Time, March 17. The launcher carried Information gathering satellite using radar #5 unit.

They found the successful separation of the satellite later. The satellite later was confirmed in orbit as planned.

This time’s successful launching of H-IIA marked the 27th consecutively and its functionality rate has reached to 97%,

The radar satellite #5 would take place of the satellite #3 which was launched in 2012 and reaching to the end of its designed life.

Except for the newly launched satellite, Japan operates six-satellites, three optical and three radar satellites respectively for information gathering.

As North Korea is showing its assertiveness in launching ballistic missiles and claims to target U.S. military installations in Japanese homeland, information gathering is getting more critical for the security reason.

The fifth radar satellite is reportedly carrying more advanced radar resolution of  50cm, instead of 1 meter by previous birds.