Wideband InterNetworking engineering test and Demonstration Satellite
"KIZUNA" (WINDS)
Completion of the Critical Operation Phase
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) shifted the attitude control mode of the KIZUNA (WINDS) to the regular control mode and completed its critical operation phase at 8:35 p.m. on March 1, 2008 (Japan Standard Time, JST.)
The satellite is in good health.
We will further maneuver the orbit from the drift orbit to the geostationary orbit (at about 143 degrees east longitude) sometime around March 14. We will also carry out the initial functional verification of the onboard equipment for about four months with the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT,) the cooperative development partner.
We would like to express our profound appreciation to all of you who have supported and cooperated with the launch and tracking operation of the KIZUNA.
We found an output anomaly in the redundant line of the solar sensor for the attitude control system during the critical operation phase. However, this anomaly does not effect the KIZUNA's operations as the main line is working properly. In addition, we will mainly use the Earth sensor and the inertial reference unit (or gyro) from now on, thus the anomaly will not cause a problem. We are currently investigating the cause.
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