spacetoday.net: Japan launches reconnaissance satellite

Japan launches reconnaissance satellite

Posted: Sat, Nov 28, 2009, 8:07 PM ET (0107 GMT)
H-2A launch on flight 4 (NASDA)

An H-2 rocket placed a Japanese reconnaissance satellite into orbit on Saturday. The H-2A rocket lifted off at 8:21 pm EST Friday (0121 GMT, 10:21 am local time Saturday) from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan and placed into orbit the fifth Intelligence Gathering Satellite (IGS) for the Japanese military. The launch was carried out by the Japanese space agency JAXA, but without the fanfare and publicity of civilian launches; Japanese government officials declared the launch a success without providing additional details. The IGS spacecraft is designed to provide high-resolution imagery for the Japanese military.