Japanese space exploration agency JAXA has revealed that it has suffered a failure with its Kizuna (‘Winds’) satellite. The craft failed in mid-February and began to drift in the geostationary arc from its designated slot at 143 degrees East.

JAXA says the craft was powered down on February 27^th as the agency could not raise it to a safe ‘graveyard’ orbit.  JAXA, in a low-key announcement on March 1^st said that the satellite’s operation was now “completed”.

Kizuna was launched in 2008 aboard a Japanese rocket, and was designed to offer a wideband inter-networking service throughout Japan but especially in rural and mountainous areas where conventional surface technology was not available.

Consumers only needed to install a low-cost small antenna (about 45 cm in diameter) at their property and enable data at up to 155Mbps and transmit data at up to 6 Mbps.

The satellite was especially useful in ‘remote medicine’ situations where there was an illness or accident and were far from medical help.

Categories: Articles, Broadband, Satellite