Japan launches H3 rocket carrying defense satellite

TOKYO — Japan launched a defense satellite Monday aimed at speedier military operations and communication on a new flagship H3 rocket and successfully placed it into orbit, as the country seeks to build up its military capability amid growing tension in the region.

The East Asian country is accelerating its military buildup under a 2022 security strategy that calls for Japanese troops to play a greater role in regional defense amid rising tension from China, North Korea and Russia.

The H3 No. 4 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a southwestern Japanese island. Everything went as planned and the satellite was successfully put into a targeted orbit, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, announced.

The rocket was carrying Kirameki No. 3, a Defense Ministry satellite that uses X-band communication for information and data sharing, as well as military operations and command.

X-band satellites are less affected by weather conditions and can support stable communication. Kirameki No. 3 follows two earlier X-band satellites already in operation to meet Japan's growing military communication demands and enhance its satellite operations.

Maj. Gen. Yasuhiro Kato, the Joint Staff Systems Department chief, told an online joint news conference from Tanegashima that the triple X-band communication satellite system would enable high-speed, large-capacity data transmission and communication across Japan's Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces, as well as with units deployed overseas on peacekeeping missions or exercises.

“It will further contribute to Japan's national security and the operational capacity of the Self-Defense Forces,” Kato said.

Ippei Kikuta, a defense ministry acquisition agency official, said Kirameki No. 3 will start operations by the end of March after being shifted to a designated geostationary orbit above Japan and tested, joining forces with the two other X-band satellites, Kirameki No. 1 and No. 2, which are in undisclosed locations.

Monday’s launch was initially planned for Oct. 20 and came after four postponements due to a technical glitch and bad weather. Kato said the delay had no impact on Japan's security and defense activity.

JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa said he felt “relieved” that the H3 rocket succeeded in delivering the satellite to its planned location after the two-week delay.

The launch was the third consecutive successful flight of the H3 system after a shocking failed debut attempt last year when the rocket had to be destroyed with its payload.

Japan sees a stable, commercially competitive space transport capability as key to its space program and national security.

JAXA and its main contractor, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, have been developing the H3 launch system as a successor to its current mainstay, H-2A, which is set to retire after one more flight.

MHI will eventually take over H3 production and launches from JAXA and hopes to make it commercially viable by cutting the launch cost to about half of the H-2A. JAXA and MHI have set a goal of six launches per year.

MHI's space segment chief, Iwao Igarashi, told reporters that the strength of the Japanese rocket launch is its reliability and on-time record and that Monday's success was “another big progress.”

The company has so far signed multiple H3 launch deals with UK and French satellite operators and the UAE space agency.

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