Japan announces plans to launch upgraded observation satellites on new flagship rocket’s 3rd flight

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s space agency says it’s planning to launch a major upgrade to its satellite imaging system, as a new flagship rocket is put to the test for a third time. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency that an H3 rocket will be launched from the Tanegashima Space Center, on a southwestern Japanese island, early afternoon on June 30. The rocket will be carrying an Advanced Land Observation Satellite, ALOS-4, tasked primarily with Earth observation and data collection for disaster response and mapmaking, as well as with monitoring military activity, such as missile launches, with an infrared sensor developed by the Defense Ministry. Japan sees a stable, commercially competitive space transport capability as key to the country’s space program and national security.