Japan successfully deployed an upgraded Earth observation satellite for disaster response and security after it was launched on a new flagship H3 rocket on Monday.
The H3 No 3 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a southwestern Japanese island and released its payload about 16 minutes later as planned, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said during a livestream.
The Advanced Land Observation Satellite, or ALOS-4, is tasked primarily with Earth observation and data collection for disaster response and mapmaking. It can also monitor military activity, such as missile launches, with an infrared sensor developed by the Defence Ministry.
