Japan launches H-2A rocket carrying ROK satellite
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E-mail Xinhua, May 18, 2012
Japan successfully launched into space early on Friday an H-2A rocket carrying four satellites including a South Korean one, local media reported.
The H-2A rocket lifted off from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island in southwestern Kagoshima Prefecture at 1:39 a.m. local time Friday.
About 16 minutes after liftoff, the Arirang 3 satellite developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute separated from the rocket at an altitude of about 680 kilomters, according to Kyodo News report.
All satellites entered their planned orbits and their equipment including solar panels is operating normally, said the space agency.
Since 2005, the JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have carried out the 7th to 20th H-2A rocket launches successfully. But Friday's event, the 21st one, marked the rocket's first ever mission to carry a foreign satellite.
The Arirang 3 multi-purpose observation satellite has an optical camera system for collection and analysis of geographical data.
The move was seen as a commercial attempt to make Japan's space industry profitable, and the successful launch on Friday added to its competitiveness in the global rocket market, where nations including Russia, the United States and China are vying for a bigger share.
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