Japan Launches Its 4th Spy Satellite

From PhysOrg.com - Latest Science and Technology News:

(AP) -- Japan launched its fourth spy satellite Saturday, completing its capabilities to monitor activities worldwide and bolstering its ability to observe neighboring North Korea's nuclear program. The satellite, along with a smaller test prototype, was launched from the country's space center on a remote southern Japan island atop an H-2A rocket, the workhorse of Japan's space program. Japanese space agency spokesman Satoki Kurokawa described the liftoff - which had been postponed three times due to poor weather - as a success. Television footage showed the rocket racing up through cloudy skies. The launch of the radar satellite enhances a multibillion dollar, decade-old plan for Japan to have round-the-clock surveillance of the secretive North and other areas Japan wants to peer in on. But weaknesses in the satellites' capabilities have led to criticism that the program is a waste of money and, with better data available on the commercial market, that Japan will continue to be dependent on Washington for its core intelligence.

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