Japan Successfully Launches Epsilon-3 Small Rocket

Kimotsuki, Kagoshima Pref., Jan. 18 (Jiji Press)--The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, successfully launched on Thursday its third Epsilon small rocket carrying an Earth observation satellite. The Epsilon-3 solid-fuel launch vehicle released the Asnaro-2 satellite into orbit about 52 minutes after the liftoff at the Uchinoura Space Center in Kimotsuki, Kagoshima Prefecure, at 6:06 a.m. (9:06 p.m. Wednesday GMT). Flight experiments for the Epsilon series, developed for low-cost satellite launches, ended with the third version, and full-fledged operation of the series will start with the Epsilon-4, JAXA said. Cost-cutting efforts for the Epsilon development included the use of a solid rocket booster for Japan's mainstay H-2A large launch vehicle. Takayuki Imoto, head of the Epsilon project, told a news conference that his team was able to realize a rocket "gentle to a satellite" with reduced vibrations. "We aim to improve the technology to develop a more user-friendly and competitive rocket," Imoto added. The Epsilon-3, which is 26 meters long and weighs 95.6 tons, can carry a heavier satellite. It can also smoothly and precisely inject a satellite into a target orbit, according to JAXA. The day's satellite launch needed about 4.5 billion yen. But the agency aims to cut the cost to 3 billion yen in the future. The Asnaro-2 compact satellite, which makes possible observations of the Earth's surface even at night and through clouds, was developed by NEC Corp. <6701> in a government-funded project to boost exports of satellites to emerging economies. Despite its high performance, the satellite can be produced in a short period at a low cost, the agency said. END