Space Agency:

Japan Successfully Launches Rocket with Spy Satellite

TEHRAN (defapress) - Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on Tuesday successfully launched a Н2-А rocket with a new reconnaissance satellite from the space center in the prefecture of Kagoshima.

News ID: 68896

Date: 27 February 2018 - 13:07

The rocket was launched at 1:34 p.m. local time (4:34 GMT), which was broadcast live by the country's space agency, Sputnik reported.

The rocket is expected to bring IGS-Optical 6 satellite, manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric, into the orbit, as part of the national Information Gathering Satellite (IGS) program.

The satellite will be able to record the surface of the Earth in daylight.

Japan is spending about $500 million a year on the development and production of reconnaissance satellites, partly out of concern over North Korea's missile tests.