Press Release

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First Quasi-zenith Satellite MICHIBIKI
Status of the Initial Functional Verification
(Transmission of All Positioning Signals)

October 26, 2010 (JST)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) would like to announce that we began transmission of all the positioning signals from the Quasi-zenith Satellite "MICHIBIKI" on October 26.

Following the transmission of the L1-SAIF signal (*1) from the L1-SAIF antenna (*2) on October 19, the other positioning signals (L1-C/A, L2C, L5, L1C, and LEX (*3)) were also transmitted from the L-band Helical antenna (*4.) While we were confirming compatibility with conventional satellite positioning services including the GPS service, we were gradually increasing the output power of the signals. On October 26, we started transmitting the signals with their nominal full power, and confirmed that the ground system properly received them.

It will take a while to verify the function and performance of the positioning signals, thus the Non Standard Code (NSC) is being used during the verification period.

We will continue conducting the initial functional verification of the onboard devices (for abut three months after launch) in cooperation with organizations that are in charge of technical verification (*5.)

*1: L1-SAIF signal: a GPS augmentation signal with information on positioning correction and GPS healthiness ("SAIF" stands for "Submeter-class Augmentation with Integrity Function.")
*2: L1-SAIF antenna: an antenna to transmit the L1-SAIF signal to the ground.
*3: L1-C/A, L2C, L5, L1C signals: GPS augmentation signals that can be operated reciprocally with positioning signals provided by the GPS. / LEX signal: a MICHIBIKI unique experimental signal.
*4: L-band Helical Antenna: an antenna to transmit the L1-C/A, L2C, L5, L1C, and LEX signals to the ground.
*5: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Electronic Navigation Research Institute (ENRI), Satellite Positioning Research and Application Center (SPAC)