spacetoday.net: Japan launches greenhouse gas monitoring satellite

Posted: Fri, Jan 23, 2009, 7:40 AM ET (1240 GMT)
H-2A launch of Ibuki (JAXA)

An H-2A rocket placed a satellite into orbit Friday designed to study concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The H-2A 202 lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center at 10:54 pm EST Thursday (0354 GMT, 12:54 pm JST Friday) carrying the Ibuki satellite, placing the Ibuki satellite into a Sun-synchronous orbit 16 minutes later. The spacecraft, also known as GOSAT and a collaborative project of the Japanese space agency JAXA and the Japanese National Institute for Environmental Studies and Ministry of the Environment, is designed to provide global measurements of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for use in climate change research. The launch had been planned for earlier this week but was delayed because of poor weather at the launch site. The H-2A also carried seven smaller secondary payloads, including a technology demonstration satellite called SDS 1. The launch was the first in 11 months for the H-2A.