A U.S. Space Force Space Domain Awareness payload launched successfully Aug. 10 aboard Japan\u2019s Quasi-Zenith Satellite 7, or QZS-7, completing a bilateral effort that places American sensors on Japanese navigation satellites. <\/p>\n
The U.S. payload rode a Japanese H3 rocket from Tanegashima Space Center. It is the second and final sensor in the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System-Hosted Payload program, the first national security space partnership of its kind between the United States and Japan, according to a recent release<\/a>. <\/p>\n The new payload will deliver near-real-time data to the Space Surveillance Network, improving the U.S. Space Force\u2019s understanding of activities within geosynchronous orbit above the Indo-Pacific. Geosynchronous orbit, about 22,000 miles up, is where a satellite matches Earth\u2019s rotation and remains over the same spot. <\/p>\n Combat Forces Command\u2019s Mission Delta 2 will operate the sensor to identify and track objects in orbit and help operators understand potential threats or opportunities. <\/p>\n The Japanese QZS-7, built by Mitsubishi Electric in Kamakura, Japan, is part of a constellation that primarily augments GPS signals over Japan and the surrounding region. <\/p>\n Massachusetts Institute of Technology\u2019s Lincoln Laboratory designed and built both U.S. payloads for the program. Space Force and laboratory teams worked with Japanese partners for two years to integrate and test the second sensor with its host satellite. <\/p>\n \u201cThe successful launch of QZS-7 is a powerful testament to the enduring strength and rapid modernization of the U.S.-Japan alliance,\u201d Col. Bryon McClain, Space Force portfolio acquisition executive for Space Combat Power, said in the release.<\/p>\n \u201cBy continuing to merge our capabilities in space modernization and satellite communications, we are maintaining security in a contested space domain and fortifying our shared deterrence capabilities across the Indo-Pacific region,\u201d he continued. <\/p>\n Col. Gina Peterson, deputy commander of Mission Delta 2, said the program helps the Space Force meet threats from peer adversaries and build \u201cresilient capabilities to detect, understand, and maintain custody of objects in deep space.\u201d <\/p>\n