1st Japan-made communications satellite to be launched in August

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Mitsubishi Electric Corp it has finished building the first Japanese-made communications satellite and started preparations for its launch on Aug 13.

The Superbird-7 satellite for Space Communications Corp, a unit of Sky Perfect JSAT Holdings Inc, has been transported to the Guiana Space Center, the launch site in French Guiana, Mitsubishi Electric said.

The new satellite will be the successor to Space Communications’ Superbird-C used for broadcasts. It will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket of France’s Arianespace SA. It will remain at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers, 144 degrees east longitude in a geostationary orbit for 15-year operations.

All 18 satellites now used by Japanese broadcasters and telecommunications carriers are U.S. made.

Mitsubishi Electric is in charge of the design and construction of the new satellite as well as its launch and performance tests. The satellite was manufactured at the company’s Kamakura plant in Kanagawa Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo.