Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have announced that the launch of the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 18 (H-IIA F18) with the first Quasi-Zenith Satellite "MICHIBIKI" is scheduled to launch from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at the Tanegashima Space Centre, between 10:54 p.m. thru 11:54 p.m. (Japan Standard Time) on the 2nd August, 2010.
The Japanese Space Agency has selected a nickname for its first GNSS satellite: Michibiki. JAXA received more than 11,000 entries in its recent contest to raise national awareness of the GPS augmentation program. The first of three Quasi-Zenith satellites will launch during the Japanese 2010 fiscal year, sometime before March 31, 2011. Read more
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) conducted a nickname campaign for the first Quasi-Zenith Satellite (QZS-1) between October 16 (Fri.) and December 16 (Wed.), 2009, to familiarise people with the satellite. Among many suggestions, "MICHIBIKI" was selected as the nickname.
Selection result: The chosen nickname is "MICHIBIKI" meaning "guiding" or "showing the way."
Reason for selection: "MICHIBIKI" accounted for the highest percentage of proposed names, excluding some names that raised some concerns in terms of third party trademark rights, thus it means the name is supported by many people. Many godparents of "MICHIBIKI" explained their selection reason as the QZS-1 is to show us a correct location using its accurate positioning information, and to guide us toward a futuristic society by establishing the next generation satellite positioning technology in Japan. As the name precisely illustrates the QZS mission, this name was chosen.