Japan launches DSN-3 satellite

November 5, 2024 - Japan launched a defence spacecraft on Monday on its new flagship H3 rocket, aimed at speedier military operations and communication amid rising tensions with China, North Korea, and Russia.

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The H3 rocket lifted off from Tanegashima Space Centre on Tanegashima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, carrying a Defence Ministry DSN-3 satellite, also known as a Kirameki No. 3, which uses X-band communication for military operations and surveillance.

Maj. Gen. Yasuhiro Kato, the Joint Staff Systems Department chief, told an online joint news conference from Tanegashima that the triple X-band communication satellite system would enable high-speed, large-capacity data transmission and communication across Japan’s Ground, maritime, and Air Self-Defence Forces, including information-gathering for signs of North Korean missile activity.

“It will further contribute to Japan’s national security and the operational capacity of the Self-Defence Forces,” Kato said.

Kirameki No. 3 will start operations by the end of March after being shifted to a geostationary orbit above Japan and tested. It will join forces with the two other X-band satellites, Kirameki No. 1 and No. 2, which are in undisclosed locations.

The launch was the third consecutive successful flight of Japan’s 220 billion yen ($1.55 billion) H3 system after the shocking failed debut flight in March 2023.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and its main contractor, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), have been developing the H3 launch system to replace the current mainstay, the H-2A.

MHI has signed multiple H3 launch deals with the UK’s Inmarsat, France’s Eutelsat satellite operators, and the UAE space agency.