Maido No. 1, a satellite launched in January to observe lightning has photographed itself in orbit with the Earth in the background. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency sent a copy of the image to Astro Technology SOHLA, the association of manufacturing firms that developed the satellite.
Maido No. 1 (SOHLA-1) was developed by Astro Technology SOHLA, in cooperation with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and several universities. Astro Technology SOHLA is an association established by small and medium-size companies in Higashi-Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture. Selected by JAXA as one of the satellites to be carried by the H-IIA rocket, Maido No. 1 was launched in January 2009.