SPACE WIRE
Japan's H-2A rocket blasts off successfully
TOKYO (AFP) Dec 14, 2002
Japan's state-of-the-art H-2A rocket carrying an Australian satellite blasted off successfully Saturday in a bid for a slice of the satellite-launch market dominated by Europe and the United States.

The rocket lifted off as scheduled from the national space centre on the southern Japan islet of Tanegashima at 10:31 am (0131 GMT).

The National Space Development Agency (NASDA) declared the mission a success after the rocket launched all the four satellites into orbit.

"The rocket accomplished its duties almost perfectly," NASDA chief Shuichiro Yamanouchi said.

Atsuko Toyama, minister for science and technology, hailed the agency's fourth consecutive success in launching the H-2A rocket since its maiden flight in August 2001.

"This shows the H-2A rocket is taking a solid step towards establishing the world's highest credibility," she said in a statement, adding hopes that continued success would make the rocket internationally competitive.

Saturday's launch was a credibility test for the H-2A, especially after the Ariane 5-ESCA, Europe's super-rocket rival to the US launchers, failed disastrously on its maiden flight on Wednesday.

NASDA said the rocket successfully released the ADEOS-2, among the world's largest earth observation satellites, the ADEOS-2, some 16 minutes after the launch.

The Advanced Earth Observation Satellite was developed by NASDA at a cost of 70 billion yen (570 million dollars) to replace its predecessor, which broke down 10 months after it was launched in 1996.

Equipped with five US and French-made sensors, it will gather data on global weather changes during its three-year lifespan.

The three other satellites, including Australia's 11.2 million-dollar FedSat, were also launched into orbit.

Saturday's success was the first time the H-2A series took a satellite commissioned by another country into orbit.

The first Australian-made satellite in 35 years carries communications, space science, navigation and computing systems.

FedSat is to conduct experiments in communications, global positioning systems, space science, remote sensing and engineering research during its three-year design life.

Japan charged no fee for the FedSat launch but will be provided with some of the data gathered by the satellite under a barter deal.

The two other satellites will monitor whale behaviour and employ onboard technologies including remote control of cameras.

Saturday's payload was the largest carried by a Japanese rocket in history.

The fourth H-2A rocket is 53 meters (yards) long and weighs 286 tonnes. It cost a total 9.4 billion yen to manufacture and launch.

Development of the H-2A, the fifth generation of mainstay NASDA rockets, was delayed until 1996, after a series of failures of its predecessor, the H-2.

Its second prototype was sent up last February. The launch was a success but one of its satellites failed to release and deploy.

The third H2-A rocket launched smoothly in September and put a satellite and test module into orbit, boosting NASDA's aspirations to compete with the United States and Europe.

The government is to commission production and marketing of the H-2A to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. beginning in April 2005.

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