Japan successfully launches Epsilon-3 small rocket
Jiji -- Jan 18
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, successfully launched on Thursday its third Epsilon small rocket carrying an Earth observation satellite.

The Epsilon-3 solid-fuel launch vehicle released the Asnaro-2 satellite into orbit about 52 minutes after the liftoff at the Uchinoura Space Center in Kimotsuki, Kagoshima Prefecure, at 6:06 a.m. (9:06 p.m. Wednesday GMT).

Flight experiments for the Epsilon series, developed for low-cost satellite launches, ended with the third version, and full-fledged operation of the series will start with the Epsilon-4, JAXA said.

Cost-cutting efforts for the Epsilon development included the use of a solid rocket booster for Japan's mainstay H-2A large launch vehicle.

Takayuki Imoto, head of the Epsilon project, told a news conference that his team was able to realize a rocket "gentle to a satellite" with reduced vibrations.

日本の新型ロケット「イプシロン」の打ち上げが18日朝、成功しました。民間の衛星を載せた打ち上げは初めてです。民間の企業が開発した小型衛星「ASNARO-2」は高性能のレーダーで地球上を観測します。
News sources: Jiji, ANNnewsCH