Japan launched the leading rocket in its space programme for the first time in nearly a year on Tuesday, putting into orbit one of the world鈥檚 largest land observation satellites to monitor natural disasters.
The H-IIA rocket launch had been delayed several times since September 2005 due to technical problems and bad weather. It finally lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan at 1033 local time (0133 GMT) and released the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) 16 minutes later.
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鈥淲e were able to launch the H-IIA rocket on time and release the satellite as we planned. We are very happy about the success,鈥� said Keiji Tachikawa, president of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Iwao Matsuda, minister for science and technology, called on JAXA to 鈥渟trive for continued successful launches鈥� and noted that important satellites are lining up to be blasted off.
Microwave radar
ALOS, which weighs 4 tonnes, can capture images from regions hit by natural disasters. It will also be used to draft maps and survey natural resources. The information will be shared with other Asian nations, as well European and African agencies.
The 53.5 billion yen ($470 million) satellite carries three instruments. PALSAR (Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar) is a microwave radar instrument that can acquire observations during both day and night and through clouds. PRISM (Panchromatic Remote-sensing Instrument of Stereo Mapping) can observe selected areas in three dimensions down to a resolution of 2.5 metres.
Lastly, AVNIR-2 (Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer type-2) is designed to chart land cover and vegetation in visible and near-infrared spectral bands. ALOS will undergo a nine-month commissioning phase, with data available to users from November 2006.
Pressure mounting
The ALOS launch was also significant for Japan鈥檚 space programme. It was only the second H-IIA launch since the rocket carrying a spy satellite to monitor North Korea failed in November 2003.
鈥淭his launch was our first firm step forward toward regaining the world鈥檚 confidence in our rocket technology. We have learned from our past mistakes,鈥� said Tsukasa Mito, JAXA executive director.
Pressure has mounted on the Japanese space programme to show progress as China, a neighbour and growing competitor, presses ahead in space and established space countries take the lead in the lucrative satellite market.
Few observers think Japan needs to prove itself in technology, but the world鈥檚 second largest economy also wants a share of the international market in launching satellites. 鈥淔or us to compete, we still have to sharpen our system as a whole,鈥� said Mamoru Endo, JAXA rocket project manager.
鈥淲e only have had a limited number of launches and we are also seeing bugs in the system 鈥� we had to postpone this launch for some time,鈥� Endo said. 鈥淏ut by taking firm steps like these, which insurance firms would be watching in the commercial market, I think we can make a good transition into the private launch market.鈥�
Japan plans to launch another H-IIA rocket in about a month, but officials suggested it would be later than the original launch schedule of February 15.
