Geostationary Orbit Injection of
the Engineering Test Satellite VIII "KIKU No. 8"
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has been controlling the orbit of the Engineering Test Satellite VIII "KIKU No. 8" since December 28, 2006 (Japan Standard Time, JST) in order to inject it into the target geostationary orbit from the drift orbit. The final orbit control was performed for about 41 seconds from 7:59 p.m. on January 8 (JST.) Consequently, through the orbit determination results shown below, we confirmed that the satellite was injected into the planned geostationary orbit at an east longitude of 146 degrees.
The "KIKU No.8" was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center at 3:32 p.m. on December 18, 2006 (JST.)
| Determination result | Values in drift orbit | |
| Apogee Altitude | 35,796 Km | 35,971 Km |
| Perigee Altitude | 35,776 Km | 35,752 Km |
| Inclination | 0.12 degrees | 0.17 degrees |
| Period | 23 hours 56 minutes | 23 hours 59 minute |
| Drift rate | 0.01 deg/day (to the East) | 0.97 deg/day (to the West) |
We are currently carrying out the initial functional verification of the onboard equipment in cooperation with the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT,) who are the collaborative development organizations of the "KIKU No. 8." The basic experiments will start in late April.
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For inquiries:
JAXA Public Affairs Department
Tel: +81-3-6266-6413 to 7, Fax: +81-3-6266-6910