Japan launched a rocket carrying a spy satellite into space on Friday morning. The Kogaku-8 satellite will, among other things, monitor North Korea’s military activities and collect and transmit information about natural disasters to Earth.
The satellite lifted off at 11:44 a.m. local time (5:44 a.m. CET) aboard an H2A rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, southern Japan. It is intended to monitor the Earth’s surface and collect information. Data on military movements in North Korea will also be collected.
The government in Tokyo uses ten satellites to collect information. The development of “Kogaku-8” reportedly cost 40 billion yen (about 251 million euros).
Already the 48th launch of an H2A rocket
It was the 48th launch of an H2A since 2001, bringing the success rate of the launch vehicle developed by the Japanese space agency JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, note) to 97.92 percent.
Japan plans to retire the H2A after two more launches and replace it with the successor H3. However, they are struggling with the change after the first two test launches in February and March last year failed. A third launch of the H3 is scheduled for February 15.
Source: Krone
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