At around 2 p.m. on Feb. 3, KST, Japan launched the experimental SS-520 Unit 5 rocket against a northwest wind of 3 meters per second and at an air temperature of 7 degrees Celsius. It was launched from the Uchinoura Space Observatory.
According to the announcement from Japan’s National Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the launch, which was a demonstration experiment, happened as planned and successfully separated the ultra-small TRICOM-1R (Trichom One Ear) satellite into orbit, 7 minutes and 30 seconds into the flight.
TRICOM-1R is a three-unit cubesat with a length of only 13.6 inches, which is why a very small rocket was used to bring it into lower Earth orbit. It came with a set of cameras that should help it observe the Earth from here. JAXA said the satellites status is normal.
The successful launch of SS-520 Unit 5 comes a year after Japan’s first tiny rocket, SS-520-4, failed to reach orbit. The latter was carrying a 6.6 pound TRICOM-1. The take-off of that first rocket was successful enough, but miscommunication among flight controllers pushed them to abort the mission. SS-520-4 ended up in the ocean, instead of outer space.
Its recent success, however, is a huge step into the small rocket industries. With small rockets designed to carry small payloads now capable of making it into orbit, the future is bright for small companies that could not afford hitching a ride for their small packages…
… Read More
Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.