Successor to original Michibiki satellite passes functional tests

Successor to original Michibiki satellite passes functional tests

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. has completed initial verification of the functions and performance of equipment aboard the orbiting QZS-1R satellite.

QZS-1R was launched Oct. 26, 2021, from Tanegashima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture and is now in quasi-zenith orbit as the successor to the original Quasi-Zenith Satellite (QZS-1), nicknamed Michibiki.

Logo and patch for the QZS-R1 satellite (Image: Miitsubishi Electric)

Logo and patch for the QZS-R1 satellite (Image: Miitsubishi Electric).

With Quasi-Zenith Satellite System services also having completed testing of related ground systems, the Cabinet Office will begin launching various positioning services via the QZS-1R today.

Mitsubishi Electric built and delivered QZS-R1 to the Cabinet Office of Japan. In addition to supporting these services, Mitsubishi Electric will continue developing satellite systems for forthcoming satellites QZS-5 to QZS-7, which will support advanced, sustainable, high-precision positioning in Japan.

Compared to the first Michibiki satellite, the QZS-1R has improved durability that is expected to extend the satellite’s design life by about five years compared to its predecessor. QZS-1R, together with QZS-2, 3 and 4 (all launched in 2017), will support positioning, high-precision positioning augmentation and other satellite services.

Name QZS-1R
Mass Dry mass (i.e., without propellant): approx. 1.6 tons; at launch: approx. 4.0 tons
Dimensions Stowed: approx. 5.4m x 2.9m x 2.9m; wing span: approx. 19m
Orbit Quasi-zenith orbit
Design life More than 15 years

 

Illustration of QZS-1R. (Mitsubishi Electric)

Illustration of QZS-1R. (Mitsubishi Electric)

GPS World

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