Japan launches reconnaissance satellite into orbit

By Alimat Aliyeva

The H-IIA medium-class launch vehicle launched into orbit on Thursday with the Japanese IGS Radar 8 reconnaissance satellite, Azernews reports.

The launch was carried out from the launch pad of the Tanegashima Space Center at 14:24 Japanese time.

The spacecraft is being put into orbit as part of the Japanese government's Information Gathering Satellite (IGS) program to provide the country with its own satellite intelligence. The development of the program was launched in 1998 in response to North Korean missile tests.

The device will be used by the Satellite Information Center of the Cabinet of Ministers of Japan. At the same time, it will serve both for the national defense of Japan and for monitoring civil natural disasters.

The satellite will function as part of the existing Japanese orbital constellation. The devices in its composition are equipped with optoelectronic and radar equipment. In January, Japan launched the Optical 8 satellite into orbit.