H3 • QZS-6

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the 5th H3 rocket with the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZS-6) satellite onboard. The QZS System is GPS compatible and provides secure positioning services. The satellite carries what the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command describes as “a space domain awareness optical payload,” which was designed and built by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. This was the first of two Japanese satellites that will host a payload from the U.S. Space Force.