The Japanese satellite laser relay technology was launched into space on Sunday (November 29) on a mission to transfer data at high speeds from military and civilian Earth observation spacecraft.
At 2:25 a.m. from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan, the Communications Satellite carrying a laser payload from the H-IIA rocket orbited at 2:25 a.m. (time. GM25 GMT or 5:25 p.m.).
Rocket builder and launch provider Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) announces successful launch On Twitter, Adding that the satellite was detached from the upper phase of the rocket. From there, the satellite will depart for geographic orbit for a 10-year mission. It was confirmed that the rocket flew as per the aircraft, MHI said in a machine-translated statement from Japan.
Unusually, the mission was not broadcast live by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency or JXA, probably due to the sensitive nature of the laser technology, according to Spaceflight Now. No information is given about its exact orbital track.
Related: Explained Japan’s H-IIA and H-IIB rockets
According to the machine-translated version of the JXA mission page in Japanese, a satellite payload, soon known as a laser utilizing communication system or Lucas, will send data from satellites into low Earth orbit.
Lucas will fly in geostationary orbit, allowing it to travel at the same rate as the Earth at a speed of about 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) from the equator. He will keep a close eye on the Asia-Pacific region.
From its alt altitude, Lucas will connect to satellites in low Earth orbit using an infrared laser beam nearby. The laser technology on the LUACAS sends data at 1.8 gigabytes per second, seven times higher than the current standard for transmitting data via radio waves, JXA said.
With more satellites than ever before due to the small satellites of private companies taking advantage of more advanced computing technology, JXA said Luca would allow for a “future increase in data transmission capacity, and urgency requirements” in Earth orbiting spacecraft.
Quickly retrieving information from these satellites requires making full use of their applications, including monitoring the earth for global warming and assisting in disaster response after catastrophic events such as hurricanes.
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