Japan launches, puts in orbit new intelligence-gathering satellite english.kyodonews.net

KYODO NEWS - 3 hours ago - 12:35 | All, JapanJapan launched Sunday a rocket carrying a government intelligence-gathering satellite which was successfully placed into orbit after the previous takeoff attempt was scrubbed due to a glitch during the countdown.
The optical satellite will take over from one of seven reconnaissance satellites believed to be monitoring developments at North Korean missile sites, among other tasks.
Japan operates two types of reconnaissance satellite -- optical satellites that take photos of the ground using a device similar to a digital camera, and radar satellites that can capture images in the dark as well as in poor weather conditions.
The government currently operates five radar and two optical satellites and aims to have a total of 10 in the future.
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