Japan Launches New Satellite to Improve Navigation System
2025-02-06
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1Japan's space agency says it successfully launched a navigation satellite on its new H3 rocket.
2The latest launch on February 2 took place as the country aims to develop a more precise positioning system.
3The H3 rocket carrying the Michibiki 6 satellite lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a southwestern Japanese island.
4Makoto Arita oversees the H3 project for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency known as JAXA.
5Arita said everything went smoothly and the satellite successfully separated from the rocket as planned about 29 minutes after liftoff.
6Officials said it should reach its target orbit around Earth in the middle of February.
7Japan's current system is called the quasi-zenith satellite system, or QZSS.
8It started operating in 2018 and has four satellites that serve a regional navigation system.
9The Michibiki 6 will be the fifth satellite in the network.
10Michibiki's signals are used to supplement the American satellite system called the Global Positioning System (GPS).
11It will also improve positioning data for smartphones, car navigation, navigation at sea and drones.
12Japan plans to launch two more navigation satellites to have a seven-satellite system by March 2026.
13The Japan Science and Technology Agency hopes that will create a more precise global positioning ability without depending on foreign services, including GPS.
14By the late 2030s, Japan plans to have an 11-satellite network.
15Sunday's launch was the fourth successful flight in a row for the H3 system.
16The first attempt to launch last year failed and the rocket had to be destroyed with its payload.
17Japan considers the ability to regularly put satellites into orbit as important to its space program and national security.
18It has been developing two new leading rockets.
19One is the large H3 from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
20The other is a much smaller Epsilon system with the aerospace unit of IHI corporation.
21Japan hopes to meet the needs of companies for space launch services and improve its position in the growing satellite launch market.
22I'm Jill Robbins.
1Japan's space agency says it successfully launched a navigation satellite on its new H3 rocket. The latest launch on February 2 took place as the country aims to develop a more precise positioning system. 2The H3 rocket carrying the Michibiki 6 satellite lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a southwestern Japanese island. 3Makoto Arita oversees the H3 project for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency known as JAXA. Arita said everything went smoothly and the satellite successfully separated from the rocket as planned about 29 minutes after liftoff. 4Officials said it should reach its target orbit around Earth in the middle of February. 5Japan's current system is called the quasi-zenith satellite system, or QZSS. It started operating in 2018 and has four satellites that serve a regional navigation system. The Michibiki 6 will be the fifth satellite in the network. 6Michibiki's signals are used to supplement the American satellite system called the Global Positioning System (GPS). It will also improve positioning data for smartphones, car navigation, navigation at sea and drones. 7Japan plans to launch two more navigation satellites to have a seven-satellite system by March 2026. The Japan Science and Technology Agency hopes that will create a more precise global positioning ability without depending on foreign services, including GPS. By the late 2030s, Japan plans to have an 11-satellite network. 8First launch not successful 9Sunday's launch was the fourth successful flight in a row for the H3 system. The first attempt to launch last year failed and the rocket had to be destroyed with its payload. 10Japan considers the ability to regularly put satellites into orbit as important to its space program and national security. It has been developing two new leading rockets. One is the large H3 from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The other is a much smaller Epsilon system with the aerospace unit of IHI corporation. Japan hopes to meet the needs of companies for space launch services and improve its position in the growing satellite launch market. 11I'm Jill Robbins. 12Mari Yamaguchi reported this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. 13______________________________________________ 14Words in This Story 15navigation - n. the act, activity, or process of finding the way to get to a place when you are traveling in a ship, airplane or car 16precise -adj. exactly placed; exactly where something is supposed to be 17quasi - prefix almost, nearly 18zenith - n. to point in the sky directly above your head 19drone - n. a small aircraft that flies without a pilot and is controlled from the ground 20supplement - v. to provide additional support 21payload - n. anything that someone is paying to have transported by a vehicle such as an airplane or rocket 22What do you think of this story? Write to us in the Comments Section