BY SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Follow the countdown and flight of the Japanese H-2A rocket with the MTSAT 1R spacecraft. Reload this page for the latest on the mission.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2005
1010 GMT (5:10 a.m. EST)

The Japanese H-2A rocket returned to space today with its long-awaited mission to launch a multi-purpose satellite to serve pilots and weather forecasters throughout Asia and the Pacific. The crucial resumption of launches came 15 months after a painful failure that added to the woes that country's space program encountered in recent years.

Liftoff at the Tanegashima space center was at 6:25 p.m. local time, or 0925 GMT (4:25 a.m. EST) from the Yoshinobu launch complex after a 76-minute delay prompted by a communications glitch between the rocket and ground systems. The MTSAT-1R satellite was delivered into a geosynchronous transfer orbit after a 40-minute ascent.

Today's flight was the first for Japan's heavy-lift vehicle since a launch in November 2003 ended in a failure when one of the rocket's solid boosters did not jettison as expected after completing its burn. An investigation in the months following found that the booster's nozzle suffered a burn-through, which caused the failure of the device responsible for sending the separation signal to explosive bolts.

Lost in the botched attempt were the second pair of four spy satellites Japan ordered built after North Korea fired a missile into Japanese territory in 1998. The accident left Japan with just one optical and one radar sounding satellite to keep tabs on its threatening neighbor.

After a number of improvements to the H-2A rocket, this launch seemed to go flawlessly and all major separation events took place. The MTSAT-1R payload was headed for a planned rocket-deployment orbit with a high point of about 36,000 kilometers, a low point of about 250 kilometers, and an inclination of about 28.5 degrees.

MTSAT-1R will fire its on-board apogee kick motors three times to boost the spacecraft to geostationary orbit over the next ten days. The power-producing solar arrays will also be deployed before reaching its final orbit.

After a prolonged period of orbital testing, MTSAT-1R will enter service at 140 degrees East longitude over the next few months for the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau and Japan Meteorological Agency.

MTSAT-1R's dual mission of facilitating air-traffic management and obtaining satellite imagery for meteorologists has been in the making for almost a full decade. This satellite replaces the one lost in November 1999 when the final H-2 rocket failed to reach orbit. It's meteorological precursor -- GMS-5 -- was launched in 1995 and has long passed its original five-year design life.

Part of MTSAT-1R's mission is to vastly improve airspace management efficiency by providing a communications link between air-traffic controllers and pilots across east Asia and the Pacific in both voice and data. Aircraft out of radar contact will also send position information to controllers via MTSAT-1R.

Pilots will also receive a boost in navigation from the use of this new technology. MTSAT-1R's GPS receivers will allow aircraft to more accurately deduce position and motion, especially in remote ocean regions away from ground stations.

With these capabilities, separation distances between planes in the covered airspace can be reduced, allowing for more air-traffic capacity than current systems can support.

MTSAT-1R carries a global beam that reaches from Alaska and Hawaii to India, and from Siberia to well south of Australia. Spot beams will be concentrated on Japan, China, and heavily-traveled air routes in the Pacific Ocean.

In addition, MTSAT-1R carries a weather imager consisting of visible and infrared channels for 24-hour capability to obtain cloud imagery across its coverage area. Forecasters will be able to use data from MTSAT-1R for sea surface temperature measurements, cloud top temperature, upper level winds, typhoon tracking and general weather predictions.

MTSAT-1R takes over for the venerable Geostationary Meteorological Satellite series, whose most newest member was launched in 1995 designed for a five-year mission. It exceeded its goal by four years until it stopped transmitting last year. The new satellite adds another infrared imaging channel along with improved quality and frequency to offer forecasters in 27 countries with better tools to do their jobs.

The 6,400-pound MTSAT-1R was built by Space Systems/Loral and is designed to operate in orbit for at least ten years supporting the aeronautical mission and for five years in its meteorological role. The contract between Loral and the Japanese Ministry of Transportation for the construction of the first satellite was signed exactly ten years ago this month -- in February 1995.

MTSAT-1R will be joined at the end of the year by MTSAT-2, which will carry a similar suite of instruments for tandem operations.

Overall, today's launch marked the 7th flight of the H-2A rocket family, and the first flight of the "2022" vehicle with two pairs of large and small solid-fueled boosters. The first five H-2A missions from 2001 to 2003 were successful.

Approximately six more H-2A flights are planned over the next few years, principally for government and domestic customers. In addition to the mission of carrying important government satellites, Japan also fielded the new rocket to compete in the global commercial space launch market that is now heavily dominated by American, European, and Russian providers. However, it has only managed to pen a limited number of international contracts for secondary payloads.

Japan's next H-2A launch is planned for this summer when the Advanced Land Observation Satellite (ALOS) will be lofted into orbit to carry out a remote sensing mission. MTSAT-2 will follow in November or December. Japan space agency officials also told Spaceflight Now another pair of "Information Gathering Satellites" similar to those spy craft lost in 2003 could put aboard another H-2A booster within a year.

1005 GMT (5:05 a.m. EST)

SPACECRAFT SEPARATION! The Multi-functional Transport Satellite-1R has been released into space from the H-2A rocket's upper stage to finish today's launch. Built by Space Systems/Loral, the MTSAT-1R spacecraft will be used by Japan for air traffic control and weather observation. It replaces the MTSAT-1 that was lost during a failed launch of an H-2 rocket in 1999.

0953 GMT (4:53 a.m. EST)

SECO 2. The second engine cutoff of the upper stage has occurred. This completes the powered phase of today's launch. The stage is supposed to release MTSAT-1R at T+plus 40 minutes.

0950 GMT (4:50 a.m. EST)

The upper stage engine is firing again. This burn is expected to last about three minutes to maneuver from the initial coast orbit to the highly elliptical geosynchronous transfer orbit.

0938 GMT (4:38 a.m. EST)

SECO 1. The second stage engine has cut off, completing the first of two planned firings of this launch. The rocket will coast for about 12 minutes before the engine is re-ignited to propel MTSAT-1R into the desired orbit for deployment.

0937 GMT (4:37 a.m. EST)

The vehicle is still flying a good trajectory with normal combustion from the upper stage engine.

0934 GMT (4:34 a.m. EST)

Launch control says the flight is going smoothly. The second stage engine continues to fire.

0931 GMT (4:31 a.m. EST)

The first stage engine shut down, followed by jettison of the spent stage. Ignition of the second stage engine has occurred as programmed. Also, the rocket's nose cone separated a couple of minutes ago.

0928 GMT (4:28 a.m. EST)

The rocket is flying on the proper trajectory. All six solid-fuel boosters fired and were jettisoned as planned, mission control reports. The liquid-fueled main engine continues to burn.

0925 GMT (4:25 a.m. EST)

LIFTOFF! The H-2A rocket has just blasted off on its return-to-flight mission carrying the MTSAT-1R dual weather and air traffic control satellite. The white and orange booster roared away at sunset, punching through a low cloud deck on its 40-minute ascent to geosynchronous transfer orbit.

0835 GMT (3:35 a.m. EST)

The launch has been rescheduled to 0925 GMT (4:25 a.m. EST) after engineers worked through a technical problem in the communications link with ground systems and the launch vehicle.

0800 GMT (3 a.m. EST)

Liftoff has been delayed at least temporarily today due to communications problems between the H-2A rocket and ground facilities. The launch team has until 0933 GMT (4:33 a.m. EST) to get the rocket off the ground today or else wait until tomorrow.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2005

Japan will return to space launches on Saturday when its H-2A rocket flies for the first time since its November 2003 failure that destroyed two high-profile spy satellites.

Liftoff is scheduled for 0809 GMT (3:09 a.m. EST) from the Yoshinobu launch complex at the Tanegashima space center in Japan. The available window extends until 0933 GMT (4:33 a.m. EST). It will be late afternoon at the launch site.

The H-2A rocket successfully flew five times from 2001 until November 2003 when the booster's mission had to be aborted due to a solid rocket booster that failed to jettison once its burn had completed. The investigation searching for the cause of the incident concluded that the booster's nozzle was burned through during its two-minute firing, which apparently damaged the fuse that sends the signal to separation bolts when it is time for the rocket to detach.

After several improvements following 2003's failed launch, officials say this flight will be the most reliable H-2A rocket to ever make the trip to space.

Preparations for this mission began last March when the MTSAT-1R satellite payload arrived at the Tanegashima Space Center launch site for its final processing from the Space Systems/Loral factory in Palo Alto, California.

The first and second stages of the H-2A rocket arrived at Tanegashima via barge on January 6, followed two days later by the beginning of the assembly at the launch complex. By January 24, the vehicle was fully integrated with its two improved solid rocket boosters and a pair of smaller strap-on solid boosters.

Fueling of the payload was completed near the end of January, and the rocket was rolled from its assembly building to the launch pad on February 5 for its wet dress rehearsal, which goes through all the steps of a countdown including fueling of the vehicle with its load of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.

The MTSAT-1R payload was fixed to its adapter on February 8, and the following week saw the satellite's encapsulation by the fairing and attachment of the unit to the launch vehicle on February 16.

MTSAT-1R will carry out a dual mission of facilitating air traffic management and conducting weather observations. The spacecraft carries GPS receivers that will track aircraft across the Asia/Pacific region, fully eliminating any blindspots that radars do not cover today. In addition, instruments aboard MTSAT-1R will allow for vast improvements in communications between air-traffic controllers and pilots in both voice and data.

The 6,400-pound spacecraft will also replace the GMS-5 satellite by obtaining cloud imagery across the Pacific and east Asia. MTSAT-1R will provide one more infrared imaging channel, increased observational frequency, and better image quality over the ten-year old GMS-5 that long-exceeded its design life before it stopped working last year. Other products offered from this data will include sea surface temperatures, typhoon tracking, and front activity.

After liftoff, MTSAT-1R will be deployed in a highly-elliptical orbit with a low point of about 250 kilometers and a high point of almost 36,000 kilometers. The craft will then use its on-board propulsion system to gradually circularize its orbit to geostationary altitude and to reduce its inclination to zero degrees. Once operational, the satellite will be stationed along the equator at 140 degrees East longitude, or nearly directly above the island of New Guinea.

MTSAT-1R is expected to operate for at least a decade for the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau and Meteorological Agency, but it will ultimately serve users as far south as Australia and New Zealand.

Meteorologists and air-traffic specialists have been waiting for the capabilities from MTSAT-1R for almost a decade now. The first satellite -- MTSAT-1 -- was part of the failed last launch of the H-2 vehicle in 1999. Following that loss, a replacement spacecraft was commissioned, but it has since been delayed due to H-2A development issues and the most recent failure in 2003.

The H-2A will be moved to the launch pad about 12 hours before liftoff, and then will be loaded with cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants.

After launch, the rocket's small twin strap-on solid boosters will ignite 46 seconds into the flight and burn for one minute before burning out. The larger solid rocket boosters will continue burning until wrapping up their firing two minutes, eight seconds after liftoff. All four solid-fueled rockets will jettison at about two minutes, 10 seconds. The protective payload fairing shielding the MTSAT-1R satellite during atmospheric ascent will be separated four minutes, 15 seconds after liftoff. The LE-7A first stage main engine will shut down at six minutes, 35 seconds, followed a few seconds later by the release of the first stage and second stage ignition for a six-minute burn to place the payload into low Earth orbit. After a 12-minute coast, the second stage will re-ignite for about three minutes for injection into geostationary transfer orbit. Spacecraft separation is slated to occur 40 minutes after liftoff.