ETS 8 launched into geostationary orbit

"Japan's largest satellite was launched by the nation's most powerful rocket
Monday to begin a mission testing technologies to aid the burgeoning mobile
communications industry.

Liftoff of Japan's eighth Engineering Test Satellite occurred at 0632 GMT
(1:32 a.m. EST) from the Yoshinobu launch complex at the Tanegashima space
center."

"The craft will be permanently located in geostationary orbit 22,300 miles
over the Equator at 146 degrees East longitude, where it will match the
Earth's rotation and appear to hover directly above the Pacific Ocean near
New Guinea.

Also called Kiku 8, the spacecraft carries a pair of solar array wings and
two large reflector antennas, which will both span more than 130 feet
tip-to-tip when deployments are complete. Each antenna has dimensions of
about 62 feet by 56 feet, or about the area of a tennis court, according to
JAXA."

"Each antenna contains 14 hexagonal modules. Engineers plan to use one for
transmitting signals and the other as a receiver.

>From its post in space, ETS 8's large antennas will have enough power to
reach small portable user terminals across Japan. An on-board S-band
communications system will facilitate the experiments.

ETS 8 will be able to directly communicate with hand-held devices modeled
after cell phones and computers. JAXA developed two units specifically for
use in tests with ETS 8 - a tiny phone-like unit and a portable device
similar to a laptop computer."

*Source:* Space.com , "Japan Launches Advanced
Communications Test Satellite" (
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/0601219_sfn_japan_sat.html)