The Tanegashima Space Centre Range Control Centre (RCC) is where all the information concerning the launch including launch vehicle and satellite information (from the Block House), domestic and overseas tracking network status, meteorological and safety information is gathered for confirming the operation status and making decisions regarding launch operations. After launch vehicle lift-off, flight status is monitored at the RCC. The RCC is located about 3 km away from the launch pad.
Four hours till launch Launch operations are progressing smoothly.
ALOS Satellite The Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) has been developed to contribute to the fields of mapping, precise regional land coverage observation, disaster monitoring, and resource surveying. It enhances land observation technologies acquired through the development and operation of its predecessors, the Japanese Earth Resource Satellite-1 (JERS-1, or Fuyo) and the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS, or Midori). ALOS has three sensors: the Panchromatic Remote-sensing Instrument for Stereo Mapping (PRISM), which is comprised of three sets of optical systems to measure precise land elevation; the Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer type 2 (AVNIR-2), which observes what covers land surfaces; and the Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR), which enables day-and-night and all-weather land observation.
The launch of the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 8 (H-IIA F8) with the Advanced Land Observing Satellite "Daichi" (ALOS) onboard was postponed yesterday after JAXA took some extra time to investigate a malfunction discovered in one of the ground facilities which monitors the temperature of the air conditioner for the payload fairing during countdown operations. The new launch date has been set for January 24 (Tue), 2006 (Japan Standard Time, JST). The scheduled launch window is between 1:33 - 1:43 GMT (10:33 - 10:43 a.m. JST.)
The launch of the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 8 (H-IIA F8) with the Advanced Land Observing Satellite Daichi (ALOS) onboard has been postponed due to incompatibility of ground monitoring system for satellite fairing air-conditioning temperature. The new launch date is January 24 (Japanese standard time) (1:33 GMT).