Japan’s Space Agency launches world’s ‘smallest’ satellite-carrying rocket

NewsBharati    04-Feb-2018
Total Views |

Tokyo, February 4: Taking a lesson from last year’s failure, Japan has launched a tiny satellite-carrying rocket touted as smallest in the world. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, launched the tiny rocket from the Uchinoura Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at 2:03 PM on Saturday.

This was Jaxa’s second effort of its kind. In last January, was aborted because of technical issues. After the second launch of Saturday, JAXA Said the rocket later released the microsatellite into its designated orbit. For cost reduction both the parts used some consumer products.

The rocket is about the size of a utility pole, measuring 10 meters in length and 50 centimeters in diameter. The released microsatellite developed by the University of Tokyo weighing about 3 kilograms will collect images of the earth’s surface.

The launch is aimed at verification of JAXA’s technology to launch small rockets made with commercially available components at lower. In this case, too, JAXA used components found in home electronics and smartphones for the rocket.

"I'm happy and felt relieved," Hiroto Habu, associate professor at JAXA in charge of the development of the rocket, told. The agency highly hopes Saturday's launch will encourage private businesses to move into the space sector.

JAXA Japan Space Agency Mini Rocket Micro satellite