US Japan weather satellite successfully launched

A U.S.-Japan satellite that aims to improve storm forecasts was successfully put into orbit Friday morning from the southern Japanese island of Tanegashima. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the satellite lifted off at 3:37 a.m. Friday Japan time from the Tanegashima Space Center, and 15 minutes later, the satellite separated from the rocket and was put on its own orbit. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration said that the solar arrays were deployed successfully and have started providing power to the satellite. Engineers will check over the next 60 days if all the instruments are functioning properly. NASA said it hopes that the satellite will start feeding accurate and reliable weather information to weather stations and emergency authorities around the world in six months. The satellite is part of the Global Precipitation Measurement project, which aims to produce near real-time observations of rain and snow anyplace on earth.