The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully launched the Epsilon-4 launch vehicle rocket along with seven satellites on Friday, from Japan’s Uchinoura Space Centre in Kimotsuki.
According to Sputnik news reports, the Epsilon-4 rocket carried seven experimental satellite into the orbit, including a CubeSat that is programmed to create an artificial meteor shower, the live broadcast on the agency’s website showed.
LAUNCH!!! An Epsilon rocket launches from the Uchinoura Space Center in Japan with RAPIS-1 and six other small satellites. #JAXA pic.twitter.com/WoA6zSB5dF
— Michael Baylor (@MichaelBaylor_) January 18, 2019
The Epsilon-4 is the next-generation solid fuel rocket, which uses the cutting-edge technologies in order to improve the operation performance and to reduce costs. The launch vehicle is equipped with an advance board computer.
The rocket was first launched into space in 2013, and then the second launch took place in late 2016, while the third Epsilon rocket launch lifted off on January 2018.
The satellites were brought into space along with the rocket, aimed at conducting various experiments. One of the specialties that the rocket will perform, is a demonstration of a man-made meteor shower (an artificial meteor shower) for several research purposes, according to the reports.