IGS 9A

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10-day predictions
IGS 9A is classified as:

Military

NORAD ID: 40381

Int'l Code: 2015-004A

Perigee: 485.5 km

Apogee: 494.5 km

Inclination: 97.3 °

Period: 94.3 minutes

Semi major axis: 6860 km

RCS: Unknown

Launch date: February 1, 2015
Source: Japan (JPN)
Launch site: TANEGASHIMA SPACE CENTER (TNSTA)

IGS 9A (Information Gathering Satellite) is a Japanese spy satellite that carries a sophisticated radar payload designed to survey the globe night and day—and in all weather conditions—from an orbit about 300 miles (483 km) above Earth. The synthetic aperture radar instrument can see through clouds and camouflage, but its exact capabilities are kept secret by the Japanese government. IGS 9A joins a network of surveillance craft run by the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center, which reports directly to the Japanese government's executive leadership. The radar spy craft was built as a backup for reconnaissance satellites launched on earlier missions.

1 40381U 15004A   20217.80545058 0.00000000  00000-0  00000-0 0    06
2 40381  97.3446 287.9456 0006517 114.4465 245.6460 15.27649490    00

Source of the keplerian elements: McCants