Japan's space agency on Monday launched a rocket carrying a satellite that will monitor greenhouse gases, as well as the first satellite built entirely in the United Arab Emirates.

The nation's H-IIA rocket lifted off Monday afternoon at 1:08 pm (0308 GMT) from the Tanegashima Space Centre, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

About 16 minutes later, it sent a Japanese satellite nicknamed Ibuki-2 into orbit.

The satellite is officially named GOSAT-2, short for "greenhouse gases observing satellite-2", and is intended to provide data that will help Japan create and publish "emission inventories" of the CO2 output of various countries, as outlined in the Paris climate accord.

The satellite will also make precision observations of methane and other gases.

The Japanese rocket also released "KhalifaSat", the first satellite built entirely in the UAE by local engineers.

"The launch of KhalifaSat is an unprecedented Emirati achievement," Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed said in a tweet.

"Our dreams to embrace space have become a reality."

Five other smaller satellites are scheduled to be released from the Japanese rocket.

Japan's space agency and its private partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries see the international satellite launch market as a possible revenue stream.

burs-hih/sah/jta

Related Links
Earth Observation News - Suppiliers, Technology and Application

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Copernicus Sentinel-5P reveals new nasties
Paris (ESA) Oct 25, 2018
With air quality a serious environmental health problem, the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite is tasked with mapping air pollutants around the entire globe every day. This new mission has been providing data on carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone since July and now other polluting nasties such as sulphur dioxide and formaldehyde have joined the list of data products available to monitor the air we breathe. Air pollution affects people in developed and developing countries alike. In Europe ... read more