Japan Launches New Spy Satellite

Japan on Sunday successfully launched a back-up spy satellite, its aerospace agency said, after canceling an earlier lift-off due to bad weather. Tokyo put spy satellites into operation in the early 2000s after its erratic neighbor North Korea fired a mid-range ballistic missile over the Japanese mainland and into the western Pacific in 1998. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries delayed Thursday's planned launch of the H-2A rocket from Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, due to the possibility of lightning during lift-off. More

(Source: DefenseNews.com - Feb 2)