Japan Launches Reconnaissance Satellite

A H-2A rocket launched $272 million reconnaissance satellite for the Japanese government on Sunday.

The booster lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan carrying the Information Gathering Satellite Optical 7 (IGS-Optical 7) spacecraft.

The satellite will replace IGS-Optical 5, whose five-year on-orbit lifetime is expiring this year. The spacecraft was launched in 2015.

It was Japan’s first launch of 2020 and the 35th success in a row for the H-2A booster.