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| Japanese Rocket |
TOKYO — Japan is to launch a new spy satellite Jan. 27 to strengthen its monitoring capabilities amid concern that North Korea may carry out more missile and nuclear tests.
A rocket carrying a radar-equipped satellite is scheduled to blast off from a space center at Tanegashima in the southwest, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has announced. The space agency said the satellite would be used for information-gathering, including data following Japan’s 2011 quake and tsunami, and did not mention North Korea by name.
The launch, planned for between 1 and 3 p.m. (0400-0600 GMT) Jan. 27, comes after Pyongyang rejected dialogue on its atomic program following tightened U.N. sanctions for a banned rocket launch. The North’s foreign ministry responded angrily to the U.N. Security Council action, saying there would be “no dialogue to discuss denuclearization” and hinting that a new atomic test could be planned.
Read the full story at DefenseNews
NOTE: The “UN to sanction N. Korea space agency” Link in the above was added by PacificSentinel for clarity & context.