Japan launches an advanced Earth observation satellite on its new H3 flagship rocket

TOKYO (AP) — Japan has deployed an upgraded Earth observation satellite for disaster response and security after it was launched on a new H3 rocket on Monday.

H3 rocket No. 3 lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on an island southwest of Japan and released its payload about 16 minutes later as planned, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said during a live broadcast.

The Advanced Earth Observation Satellite, or ALOS-4, is primarily tasked with observing the Earth and collecting data for disaster response and mapping. It is also capable of monitoring military activities, such as missile launches, with an infrared sensor developed by the Ministry of Defense.

The rocket appeared to fly as planned and JAXA is expected to provide more details at a press conference on Monday. The launch was initially planned for Sunday, but was postponed due to bad weather at the launch site.

ALOS-4 is the successor to the current ALOS-2 and can observe a much wider area. Japan will operate both for now.

The launch was the third of the H3 system, after the success on February 17th. and the shocking failed debut flight a year earlier, when the rocket had to be destroyed along with its payload – a satellite that was supposed to be ALOS-3.

Japan views a stable and commercially competitive space transportation capability as fundamental to its space program and national security.

JAXA and its prime contractor, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, have been developing the H3 launch system as a successor to its current mainstay, the H-2A, which is expected to retire after two more flights. MHI will eventually take over production and launches of the H3 from JAXA and hopes to make it commercially viable, reducing the launch cost to about half that of the H-2A.