Japan launches new flagship H3 rocket carrying defense satellite
Japan launched a defense satellite aimed at speedier communication and military operations on a new flagship H3 rocket on Monday and successfully placed it into orbit, as the country seeks to build up
TOKYO (AP) — Japan launched a defense satellite aimed at speedier communication and military operations on a new flagship H3 rocket on Monday and successfully placed it into orbit, as the country seeks to build up its military capability amid growing tension in the region.
The H3 No. 4 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a southwestern Japanese island. Everything went as planned and the satellite was successfully put into a targeted orbit, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, announced.
The rocket was carrying a Defense Ministry satellite, Kirameki No. 3, which uses X-band communication for information and data sharing, as well as military operations and command. X-band satellite is less affected by weather conditions and is capable of supporting stable communication. Kirameki No. 3 follows two earlier X-band satellites already in operation to meet Japan’s growing communication demands and enhance its satellite operations.
Maj. Gen. Yasuhiro Kato, the Joint Staff Systems Department chief, told an online joint news conference from Tanegashima that the triple X-band communication satellite system would enable high-speed, large-capacity data transmission and communication across Japan’s Ground, Maritime and Air Self Defense Forces, as well as with units deployed overseas on peacekeeping missions or exercises.
“It will further contribute to Japan’s national security and the operational capacity of the Self Defense Forces,” Kato said.
Ippei Kikuta, an Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency official, said Kirameki No. 3 will start operations by the end of March after being shifted to a designated geostationary orbit above Japan and tested, joining forces with the two other X-band satellites, Kirameki No. 1 and No. 2, which are in undisclosed locations.
Japan is accelerating its military buildup under a 2022 security strategy that calls for Japanese troops to play a greater role in regional defense amid rising tension from China, North Korea and Russia.
Article