Launch of information gathering satellite Postponed due to bad weather Tanegashima January 25 18:43
The launch of the government's information gathering satellite, which was planned at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on the 27th, has been postponed to 28th this month due to anticipated bad weather.
The government's information gathering satellite is a de facto reconnaissance satellite that captures information about Japan's security, etc. from above, and captures information on all parts of the globe.
The Cabinet Satellite Information Center was planning to launch one "optical satellite" to take a picture of the ground during the day with H2A Launch Vehicle No. 41 after 10:00 am on March 27.
However, the area around Tanegashima Space Center on the day is expected to rain, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., in charge of the launch, has announced that it will postpone the launch on May 27 on the grounds that lightning that could affect rockets and satellites may occur.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has set a new launch date and time after 10:30 am on this month 28, but it is expected that bad weather will continue until just before moving the rocket body etc., `` I want to judge the launch timing carefully '' You.
Information gathering satellites are used to monitor trends in missile launch facilities in North Korea and damage during disasters. However, according to the Cabinet Satellite Information Center, the national budget for development, launch, and operation has been up to 1.4 trillion yen. The development cost has been invested about 35 billion yen for the “Optical Unit 7”.