Japan to launch satellite in Feb. to complete 7-orbiter geolocation system

Japan’s space agency will launch a satellite in February to enable the country to stably operate its own geolocation system akin to the U.S. Global Positioning System.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said Monday that the Michibiki No. 7 satellite will be launched on an H3 rocket from Tanegashima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture on Feb. 1.

Together with another scheduled to be launched Dec. 7, the satellite will complete Japan’s seven-orbiter geolocation system, called the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System.

For a country to have its own geolocation system is key to providing uninterrupted services without relying on satellites from other countries.

With the seven satellites in orbit, Japan will always have at least four operating over its sky. The agency ultimately plans to have 11 geolocation satellites orbiting the Earth to ensure that the system keeps working even if some run into trouble.

The seventh Michibiki, manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric Corp., weighs around 4.9 tons and spans about 19 meters in width when its solar panels are deployed.

Starting around 2029, geolocation errors on smartphones and car navigation systems in Japan will be narrowed to about 1.6 meters, from between 5 and 10 meters currently, thanks to better equipment mounted on newer satellites, officials said.