Launch News JAXA's MICHIBIKI atop H-2A on Sept. 11, 2010

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The official launch photos and video (HD 720p) from JAXA:

MICHIBIKI Special Site > Mission Photo, Movie​

 

[SiberianTiger]

Thank you for the coverage, orb, it was really good. I'll try to see if your template easy to reproduce next time it's a Russian launch.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Aviation Week: "Japan Orbits GPS-Aiding Satellite".

 

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JAXA Press Releases from past few days:

• 2010-09-12: First Quasi-Zenith Satellite MICHIBIKI Flight Status
• 2010-09-19: First Quasi-Zenith Satellite MICHIBIKI Completion of the Critical Operation Phase

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Broadcom Announces Immediate Support for the New QZSS Satellites Launched by Japan.

GPS Receiver Successfully Tests Reception of the QZSS Satellite Signals and Codes.

Broadcom Corporation, a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced that its single-chip global positioning system (GPS) solution for mobile devices supports the new Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) launched by Japan earlier this month. The BCM4751 solution has built-in support for QZSS and also supports additional satellite constellations including the Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS), making as many as nine additional satellites available for use in navigation. This built-in support will result in several GPS performance benefits, including improved urban canyon navigation in major cities such as Tokyo and availability of position fixes in more areas than competitive solutions.

Highlights/Key Facts:

• The foundation of the Japanese Quasi-Zenith Satellite System has just been established with the launch of a new navigation satellite named Michibiki. This is the first of three satellites in this new constellation. The QZSS satellites are meant to provide refined navigation capabilities over existing systems.
  
• The QZSS satellites require a new set of pseudo random number (PRN) codes, support for which is already built into the BCM4751.
  
• Broadcom is working closely with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to test reception of live QZSS signals and codes as they become available using the BCM4751.
  
• The Broadcom BCM4751 is a single-chip GPS receiver used for tracking and navigation, primarily in mobile devices. Its massively parallel, hardware correlator architecture provides faster signal searches, accurate real-time navigation, improved tracking sensitivity and very low average power consumption. The sensitivity and navigation performance of the BCM4751 continue to set the standard for the industry.
  
• Key features of the Broadcom BCM4751 GPS receiver include:
  o 65 nanometer CMOS design featuring a highly integrated radio frequency (RF) and baseband processor with extremely low power consumption.
  o The smallest complete PCB footprint: 30 mm(2) including band-pass filter, TCXO and passives.
  o High sensitivity operation.
  o Increased satellite availability: supports GPS, SBAS and QZSS satellites at L1 frequency band.
  o Integrated power management allowing direct connection to the battery.
  o Available in both wafer level ball grid array (WLBGA) and fine pitch ball grid array (FPBGA) packages.

Supporting Quotes:

Koji Terata, Project Manager QZSS, JAXA.
"JAXA innovations are driving improved user experience of advanced navigation products. For that reason, JAXA is excited to work with Broadcom to be among the first companies to demonstrate the significant performance benefits of adding the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), including aiding in urban canyon navigation, providing a straighter, more accurate and reliable navigation solution, as well as position fixes in more areas."

Scott Pomerantz, Vice President & General Manager, Broadcom's GPS line of business.
"We are pleased to announce our support of Japan's QZSS satellite system which will improve the accuracy and availability of satellite navigation services. The BCM4751 already sets new standards in performance and low power consumption with state-of-the-art sensitivity and navigation performance and our support for QZSS only accelerates our customers' ability to realize the additional performance benefits provided by this exciting new system."

 

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Spaceflight Now:

• Navigation satellite reaches position above Japan

JAXA Press Releases:

• 2010-09-27: First Quasi-Zenith Satellite MICHIBIKI Injection into the Quasi-Zenith Orbit

[table="head"]{colsp=2}

Finalized Orbit​

Apogee altitude|

38,950km​

Perigee altitude|

32,618km​

Orbit inclination|

41.0°​

Period|

23 hours 56 minutes​

Center longitude|

135° E​

Drift rate|

0.03 degrees/day (to the east direction)​

[/table]​

 

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JAXA Press Releases:

• 2010-10-19: First Quasi-zenith Satellite MICHIBIKI Status of the Initial Functional Verification

 

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JAXA: Quasi-Zenith Satellite-1 "MICHIBIKI":

December 15, 2010 Updated
MICHIBIKI starts technical and application verifications

The first quasi-zenith satellite "MICHIBIKI" has been under the initial functional verification for about three months and, all the satellite bus and onboard mission devices were confirmed as functioning.
As a result, JAXA moved the operation of MICHIBIKI to regular mode on December 13 (Japan Standard Time,) and, accordingly, we will begin technical and application verifications of the MICHIBIKI with all organizations concerned.
Each organization already started partial technical verifications when the health of their onboard device(s) and ground systems was confirmed.
However, as JAXA switched all positioning signals to the standard code at 11:48 a.m. on December 15 (JST,) full-scale technical and application verifications will be performed by all the organizations.

 

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JAXA Press Release:

First Quasi-Zenith Satellite MICHIBIKI
Technical Verification and Application Verification​

December 15, 2010 (JST)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI)
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
National Institute of Information and Communication Technology (NICT)
Electronic Navigation Research Institute (ENRI)
Satellite Positioning Research and Application Center (SPAC)​

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI), the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), the National Institute of Information and Communication Technology (NICT), the Electronic Navigation Research Institute (ENRI) and the Satellite Positioning Research and Application Center (SPAC) have conducted the initial functional verification of the First Quasi-Zenith Satellite "MICHIBIKI" for about three months. The MICHIBIKI was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center at 8:17 p.m. on September 11, 2010 (Japan Standard Time, all the following dates and time are JST,) and, during the initial verification, the satellite bus and onboard mission devices were confirmed as functioning.
As a result, all functions and performance were verified to be normal, thus JAXA moved the operation of MICHIBIKI to regular mode on December 13. Accordingly, we will begin technical and application verifications of the MICHIBIKI.
Each organization already started partial technical verifications when the health of their onboard device(s) and ground systems was confirmed. However, as JAXA switched all positioning signals to the standard code* at 11:48 a.m. on December 15, full-scale technical and application verifications will be performed by all organizations.


* Standard code:
Positioning signals were set to a non-standard code during the initial functional verification period; therefore, users were not able to capture signals. By setting them to the standard code, experimental users of the technical and application verifications can receive signals. Aside from the standard code, we also set up an "alert flag" which indicates that MICHIBIKI's positioning signals cannot be used (an alert condition,) thus general users cannot use MICHIBIKI's signals for their positioning calculation even if they acquire the signals. This "alert flag" will be removed after the quality and reliability of MICHIBIKI's signals are proved to satisfy the user interface specifications of the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System. (We plan to remove the alert flag in three to six months after starting the technical verification. We may temporarily remove it during the verification when experimental users require the removal for a test.)

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Reference: Major Schedules of MICHIBIKI since its launch

 

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JAXA Press Release:

First Quasi-Zenith Satellite 'MICHIBIKI' Begins
Providing Positioning Signals
(Lifting the alert flag)​

June 22, 2011 (JST)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)​

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed that the quality and reliability for positioning signals (L1-C/A and L2C*1) of the First Quasi-Zenith Satellite (QZS) "MICHIBIKI" satisfied the QZS system user interface specifications (IS-QZSS) through technological verification, thus lifting the alert flag*2 for the L1-C/A and L2C positioning signals on June 22.
We will remove the alert flag for the remaining positioning signals (L5 and L1C*3) after their compliance with the IS-QZSS is verified.
As the alert flags were dismissed, a GPS receiver corresponding to the MICHIBIKI will be able to use MICHIBIKI's positioning signals for its calculations.
JAXA is engaging in promotional activities to develop a commercial GPS receiver that corresponds to the MICHIBIKI including a program called "supporting system for corresponding a commercial GPS receiver with the QZSS (QZ-support.)" (Please refer to the attachment.)
We expect to expand the environment where people can enjoy MICHIBIKI's effectiveness through lifting the alert flags and popularization of receivers corresponding to the MICHIBIKI.

*1|L1-C/A and L2C:
|GPS supplementary signals. It is possible to use both positioning signals reciprocally from the current GPS and the MICHIBIKI.
*2|Alert flag:
|A flag that indicates that positioning signals from the MICHIBIKI cannot be usable (alert status.) In the alert status, general users cannot use signals from the MICHIBIKI for their positioning calculations even if they receive them. Alert flags may be set again for satellite operations such as orbit and attitude control, and technological verification. You can find our operation and test schedule on our data publication website "QZ vision" ( http://qz-vision.jaxa.jp/USE/en/index ).
*3|L5 and L1C:
|GPS supplementary signals. They can be used reciprocally with new positioning signals that are based on the modernization plan of the GPS.

• Attachment

 

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JAXA - Quasi-Zenith Satellite-1 "MICHIBIKI":

July 14, 2011 Updated
MICHIBIKI provides all GPS supplementary signals

The alert flags for positioning signals of L5 and L1C for the first quasi-zenith satellite (QZS) “MICHIBIKI” were removed on July 14 as we have confirmed that their quality and reliability satisfy the QZS system user interface specifications.

Along with the L1-C/A and L2C signals, whose alert flags were lifted on June 22, all alert flags for the GPS supplementary signals have now been retracted.

L5 and L1C signals are called “modernized GPS signals” because they are expected to be further improved in ranging accuracy and have less multi-path errors compared to L1-C/A and L2C signals.

 

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JAXA: Quasi-Zenith Satellite-1 "MICHIBIKI":

June 4, 2012 Updated
MICHIBIKI: Suspension and resumption of positioning signal provision

At 1:42 a.m. on June 4 (Japan Standard Time), the time generation system of the MICHIBIKI, including the rubidium atomic clock 2, became unstable, thus positioning signals were not generated normally. As a result, JAXA temporarily stopped providing the signals. We then switched to the redundant system, the rubidium atomic clock 1, and confirmed that operations are smoothly working as well as that no impact was observed on MICHIBIKI’s signal precision. Therefore, we resumed the positioning signal provision at 10:15 a.m. on the same day. The service is progressing without any problem. We will continue engineering verification while investigating the cause of the glitch.

 

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JAXA: Quasi-Zenith Satellite-1 "MICHIBIKI":

December 20, 2012 Updated
MICHIBIKI: Current status of rubidium atomic clock 2

The First Quasi-Zenith Satellite “MICHIBIKI” is equipped with two rubidium atomic clocks, Clock 1 for the operation system and Clock 2 for the spare system, to construct the redundant structure. The former is currently used for generating positioning signals.

At 2:40 a.m. on Dec. 19 (Japan Standard Time), we found an anomaly in Clock 2, and we have not been able to restore its normal operations. We keep generating and providing positioning signals normally using Clock 1 while investigating the anomaly cause and studying countermeasures.