Alex Knapp, Forbes Staff
I write about the future of science, technology, and culture.
On September 14, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency successfully launched its SPRINT-A Space Telescope (nicknamed “Hisaki”) on its new Epsilon rocket.
The new rocket was launched from the Uchinoura Space Centre in Kagoshima at 2:00 pm local time. And what’s remarkable? Only 8 people were at the control to make sure that the launch went off smoothly, compared to the 150 people needed for Japan’s larger H2-A rocket. That’s all part of JAXA’s plan to pare down its launch costs.
The Epsilon launch vehicle itself is equipped with autonomous systems capable of doing much of its own systems checks. These systems reduce the need for human interaction and significantly reduce the launch costs, something that JAXA hopes will make it competitive in the increasingly crowded commercial space industry.
The launch was controlled with only two laptops. Eventually, they might only need one.
After about an hour of flight time, Hisaki successfully separated itself from the Epsilon launch vehicle and made it safely to orbit. The space telescope is designed to observe “planets such as Venus, Mars Mars, and Jupiter from the orbit around the earth,” according to JAXA’s web site.
The specific goal of Hisaki is to better understand the atmospheres of the planets and how they interact with solar activity. The telescope will also make a special study of the interaction of energy transfers between Jupiter and its moon Io.
Japan’s next planned launches are of its second Advanced Land Observing Satellite, which monitors environmental conditions, and the Global Precipitation Measurement satellite. The GPM is a joint mission with NASA designed to use advanced instruments to learn more about global precipitation patterns.