男女羞羞视频在线观看,国产精品黄色免费,麻豆91在线视频,美女被羞羞免费软件下载,国产的一级片,亚洲熟色妇,天天操夜夜摸,一区二区三区在线电影
  Home>News Center>World
         
 

Japan returns to space 15 months after failure
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-26 23:33

TOKYO - Japan put a satellite into space for the first time since a humiliating failure 15 months ago in hopes of entering the launch market.

The Japanese-made H-2A rocket, carrying a navigation and meteorological satellite, blasts off from the launching pad at Tanegashima Space Center on the island of Tanegashima, about 1,000km (620 miles) southwest of Tokyo on Saturday, in this handout photo released by Rocket System Corporation in Tokyo February 26, 2005. Japan successfully fired the satellite into orbit on Saturday in a key step towards restoring faith in its space programme, 15 months after its previous launch attempt ended in failure. [Reuters]
The Japanese-made H-2A rocket, carrying a navigation and meteorological satellite, blasts off from the launching pad at Tanegashima Space Center on the island of Tanegashima, about 1,000km (620 miles) southwest of Tokyo on Saturday, in this handout photo released by Rocket System Corporation in Tokyo February 26, 2005. Japan successfully fired the satellite into orbit on Saturday in a key step towards restoring faith in its space programme, 15 months after its previous launch attempt ended in failure. [Reuters]
The H-2A, which carries a satellite that can forecast weather and navigate aircraft, took off through overcast skies at the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Kagoshima prefecture at 6:25 pm (0925 GMT).

The 16.3 billion-yen (155 million-dollar) satellite separated successfully from the rocket, bringing claps of joy at the Tokyo headquarters of the space agency which feared another failure would be catastrophic.

Japan has sent up five H-2A rockets successfully but suffered a setback in November 2003 when it had to destroy the sixth H-2A rocket just 10 minutes after lift-off when one of two rocket boosters failed to separate from the main body.

The failure was all the more embarrassing.

The sixth and doomed H-2A rocket had been carrying two spy satellites to monitor military moves in North Korea. Japan was shocked after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile over the country into the Pacific Ocean in August 1998.

Japan already sent up its first spy satellites in March 2003 via the fifth H-2A rocket.

Saturday's liftoff was delayed for 76 minutes due to a communication problem between the rocket and ground operations, a space agency spokeswoman said. The launch was originally scheduled Thursday but called off due to poor weather.

The rocket was spearheaded by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which will take over all production and marketing of the H-2A from April as part of government privatization.

"We think the success of the launch confirmed the credibility of the H-2A as a mainstay rocket but our company will make further efforts to improve its credibility," a statement said.

Tsukasa Mito, executive director of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, visited three shrines near the space center on the eve of the launch.

"I want to make this one a complete success," he said.

While few would feel Japan needs to prove itself in technology, the world's second largest economy is looking for a slice of the market in launching satellites.

The Japan Meteorological Agency, which will manage the new satellite on the H-2A, said it once considered using Europe's Ariane rocket because of the less than stable performance of the Japanese rockets.

The meteorological agency's Himawari-5 weather satellite is no longer functional. The agency is using a US satellite to forecast weather.

"We think we can eventually enter the commercial satellite launch market, in which we would be launching satellites for Japanese and foreign entities," said Masato Nakamura, spokesman for the space agency.

"Many countries, such as Europe, Russia and the United States, have also failed many times as they gained experience. We believe we are more advanced than many other countries," Nakamura said.

The 2003 incident was not the first failure for Japan's space program.

In November 1999, Japanese space authorities exploded a 24-billion-yen (228 million dollar) H-2 rocket and a multi-functional weather satellite of the meteorological agency by remote control when it veered off-course after liftoff.

In February 1998, a 36-million-dollar satellite was lost in space despite a successful separation from an H-2 rocket because it was released at the wrong altitude and sent into an elliptical orbit.



 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

China to gradually open capital account in 2005

 

   
 

EU commissioner: It's time to lift arms ban

 

   
 

Beijing moves to expand flights with Taiwan

 

   
 

India considers China, US its top partners

 

   
 

Crisis countermeasures drawn up

 

   
 

Top US general sees lasting Iraq insurgency

 

   
  North Korea urged to return to nuclear talks
   
  Powell criticises post-war troop levels
   
  Iran quake death toll tops 602 as int'l aid arrives
   
  Japan says policy on Taiwan unchanged
   
  UK jails 3 for Iraq abuse, questions remain
   
  9 peacekeepers killed in Congo, U.N. says
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  News Talk  
  Are the Republicans exploiting the memory of 9/11?  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 信阳市| 民丰县| 娱乐| 靖安县| 衢州市| 萝北县| 高平市| 敦化市| 井冈山市| 唐河县| 乐亭县| 乐清市| 台北县| 霍林郭勒市| 淮阳县| 昂仁县| 遵义县| 牟定县| 平果县| 合江县| 彭山县| 张家界市| 平顺县| 灌阳县| 故城县| 银川市| 承德市| 湘潭市| 曲阜市| 汝阳县| 平利县| 邢台市| 龙里县| 冷水江市| 崇明县| 濉溪县| 耒阳市| 开化县| 灵山县| 三明市| 瑞丽市| 菏泽市| 雷波县| 开原市| 濮阳市| 莎车县| 镇赉县| 浙江省| 湖南省| 博野县| 庆城县| 莱西市| 石家庄市| SHOW| 南川市| 太谷县| 水城县| 通江县| 东城区| 泊头市| 墨玉县| 怀仁县| 海林市| 江源县| 深泽县| 新郑市| 五常市| 房产| 新昌县| 台北市| 常德市| 简阳市| 松原市| 通海县| 崇左市| 博乐市| 岢岚县| 漳浦县| 金坛市| 鲁甸县| 伊金霍洛旗| 贡觉县|