Japan Lofts Newest Earth Observing Satellite

摘要

Japan launched its newest flagship-class environmental satellite Jan. 24 on a three- to five-year mission that experts here said could breathe new life into a civilian Earth observation program that has been plagued by delays and failures over the last decade. The Advanced Land Observ-ing Satellite lifted off from southern Japan's Tanegashima space center aboard an H-2A rocket and was placed into a near-polar orbit with an altitude of approximately 700 kilometers, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Now called Daichi, the satellite successfully deployed its 22-meter solar paddle and data relay antenna in the hours and days following the launch, JAXA said.