An H-2A202 launch from Tanegashima in Japan took place at 0845 on 17 February 2016. Aboard the flight to orbit were four satellites. The main payload was the Japanese ASTRO-H aka Hitomi spacecraft. This 2700kg astronomical spacecraft, which has been launched for JAXA, is designed to make high-resolution observations over a wide range of wavelengths: from X-ray to gamma rays.
Its three co-payloads were on a much smaller scale.
The 50kg Chubusat 2 is a joint project of Nagoya University and Daido University. It will monitor background radiation while its 50kg sister spacecraft, Chubusat 3, will test Earth observation and debris observation technologies. The Kyushu Institute of Technology’s Horyu 4 is a 10kg satellite technology demonstrator examining arching on high-voltage solar arrays.
