Society

Michibiki satellites aim to provide 'Japanese GPS'

May 29 (the-japan-news.com) - Billed as a domestically developed version of the Global Positioning System, the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) Michibiki No. 2 satellite will be launched on Thursday from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture.

The government plans to launch Michibiki satellites Nos. 3 and 4 within the year to establish a global positioning system with world-class accuracy. It hopes that the satellites will be utilized in a wide range of areas, including transport navigation during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

Michibiki is a type of satellite developed to transmit radio waves toward the ground to supply accurate positioning data. It flies in a quasi-zenith orbit above the nation and its radio waves can be received even in mountainous areas or between tall buildings.

Data from the Michibiki No. 1 satellite, which was launched in September 2010, has been used in car navigation systems and smartphones, among other applications.

The widely used GPS service is operated by the United States. About 30 GPS satellites cover the whole globe, but when receivers in Japan are not able to get sufficient radio wave reception, it can cause errors in the location information provided. Michibiki satellites will play a complementary role to GPS.

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