Japanese H-IIA Launches
Image credit: NASDA
A Japanese H-2A rocket successfully launched from Tanegashima Space Center today, carrying two experimental satellites. It launched the Unmanned Space Experiment Recovery System (USERS) spacecraft and the Data Relay Test Satellite (DRTS). This is the third successful launch of the H-2A; an upgrade over the H-2 rocket program which suffered a string of launch failures in the 1990s.
The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) launched the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite-II (ADEOS-II) by H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 4 (H-IIA F4) at 10:31 a.m. on December 14, 2002 (Japan Standard Time) from the Tanegashima Space Center. The initial azimuth of H-IIA F4 was 122 degrees. H-IIA F4 flight went normally, and it was confirmed that ADEOS-II was successfully separated in 16 minutes and 31 seconds after liftoff.
Original Source: NASDA News Release
Recent Posts
New Study Examines Cosmic Expansion, Leading to a New Drake Equation
In 1960, in preparation for the first SETI conference, Cornell astronomer Frank Drake formulated an…
Pentagon’s Latest UFO Report Identifies Hotspots for Sightings
The Pentagon office in charge of fielding UFO reports says that it has resolved 118…
A New Way to Detect Daisy Worlds
The Daisy World model describes a hypothetical planet that self-regulates, maintaining a delicate balance involving…
Two Supermassive Black Holes on the Verge of a Merger
Researchers have been keeping an eye on the center of a galaxy located about a…
Interferometry Will Be the Key to Resolving Exoplanets
When it comes to telescopes, bigger really is better. A larger telescope brings with it…
A New Mission To Pluto Could Answer the Questions Raised by New Horizons
Pluto may have been downgraded from full-planet status, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hold…