Japan Launches Spy Satellite Under Veil of Secrecy

Japan Launches Spy Satellite Under Veil of Secrecy

www.space.com

In an unpublicized launch lacking fanfare, an H-2A rocket successfully boosted Japan's most advanced spy satellite to orbit on Saturday from the country's island space center.

The 174-foot-tall launcher lifted off at 0121 GMT Saturday (8:21 p.m. EST Friday) from Launch Pad No. 1 at the Yoshinobu complex on the southern shore of Tanegashima Island. The rocket's launch occurred at 10:21 a.m. local time.

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The supposed payload was a more than $500 million satellite outfitted with an optical camera and telescope to supply imagery to the Japanese government for intelligence, defense and civilian remote sensing applications. The spacecraft will become the fifth operational member of Japan's spy satellite fleet.

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Japan established the space-based reconnaissance program after North Korea fired a test missile over Japanese territory in 1998. The country's spy satellites have become increasingly more advanced since then, but officials have provided no official specifications on the satellite launched Saturday.

Another North Korean missile test over Japan in April prompted further consideration of an early warning satellite with an infrared sensor dedicated to detecting missile launches.

Well to be honest who can blame them putting satellites up? After South Korea Japan is the country that has the most to loose should N Korea throw the teddys out of the pram.

I bet it really irks Kimmy knowing that he can bearly lob up a satellite with 1980's capability where as Japan can throw up top notch state of the art hardware whenever they feel like it...

www.space.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Obviously "veil of secrecy " loses a lot of it's meaning when we're here discussing it online the very next day.
But I must give it to those japanes, those hello kitty sub orbital rockets are notoriously hard to track on radar.