Japanese rocket "Epsilon" launched from the Baikonur Uchinoura - Reuters

TOKYO, Sept. 14 – RIA Novosti, Xenia Naka. Start a new Japanese rocket “Epsilon” took place from the Baikonur Uchinoura in Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) broadcast the launch live via the Internet.

The formulation of the rocket, which in Japan is called a revolutionary, formed three principles – “time-saving”, “savings of Human Resources”, “saving equipment.” Development costs, which took 12 years and the first launch is about $ 205 million. The three-stage “Epsilon” two times smaller now used H2A rocket (its length – 24.4 meters, diameter – 2.6 m, weight – 91 tons), and is much more economical due to financial, time and human costs. “Epsilon” is

equipped with the devices function of artificial intelligence, thereby verifying and monitoring its readiness to launch occur automatically and require little human interve ntion. The launch can be controlled with two computers while running H2A engaged in several dozen people. Since the installation of the launch pad before the launch of the H2A rocket needed a month, “Epsilon”, only one week. The result was an almost three-fold reduction of the cost of the launch – it is now about 38 million dollars, and in some years has fallen below 30 million, which is almost three times less than the cost of the launch of the H2A, which exceeded $ 100 million ..

“Epsilon” should be put into orbit a research satellite “SPRINT-A”. The satellite will collect information about the UV rays are absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere and do not reach the surface. He also needs to get information about the atmosphere of Mars and Venus, on the other planets of the solar system.

Delay Start

launch rocket “Epsilon” with a research satellite SPRINT-A was scheduled for another 27 August, but was canceled automatically after 19 seconds before the start of sync because of the ground computer and electronic equipment in the rocket 0.07 seconds. Read more about it >>