My contact inside JAXA sent this note:
GCOM-W1 was launched at 1:39 18 May (Japan Standard Time) as scheduled, and the satellite was separated from the rocket successfully.
This is the satellite carrying the AMSR-2. Keep your fingers crossed for successful deployment. But this is a major step to operations!
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Thanks a lot for this info, Robert!
Fingers are crossed in Austria...
from the GCOM-W1/JAXA website:
May 19, 2012 Updated
SHIZUKU critical phase completed!
The Global Change Observation Mission 1st - Water "SHIZUKU", which was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center on May 18, completed its critical operations as it was successfully inserted into the initial orbit and finished the AMSR2 run-up and other essential events normally. JAXA will take about 45 days to insert the satellite into the "A-Train orbit" in order to participate in an Earth observation mission called the "A-Train" in cooperation with satellites of other countries while performing the initial functional confirmation for about three months.
Ray Spencer has a nice picture on his site from a camera _on_ the satellite taking pictures of its own feet or something.
And isn't it nice to see something we can all applaud?
Thank you JAXA.
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