OSAKA (Kyodo) Four of six small satellites developed by students and private business operators for launch in January on an H-IIA rocket were unveiled Monday in Osaka Prefecture.
The satellites, including those developed by students at the University of Tokyo and Kagawa University, were shown at a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency facility in Higashiosaka, where they were brought for preparation for the launch.
The small satellites will be launched using the excess payload capacity of an H-IIA rocket that will be carrying Ibuki, a satellite to observe greenhouse gases, into orbit, according to JAXA officials.
"We will be glad if (the small satellites) safely attain their goals," a JAXA official said.
One of the satellites, Prism, developed at the University of Tokyo, aims to take high-definition images using a lens that extends about 15 cm.
