Japan has launched its first military communications satellite Kirameki-2 on 24 January. The manufacturer of Kirameki-2 satellite (also known as DSN-2), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, informed that the satellite was launched aboard an H-IIA rocket from Japan's Tanegashima space port and successfully entered orbit. The satellite is the first of three X-band satellites Japan plans to launch amid growing Chinese military activity in the region.
211216-N-QI061-1222 NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. (December 16, 2021) An MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), assigned to Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 (VUP-19), sits on the flight line at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Dec. 16, 2021. VUP-19, the Navy’s first Triton squadron, will continue to maintain and operate the aircraft off the East Coast to further develop the concept of operations and refine tactics, techniques, and procedures. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan T. Beard/ Released)