Japan's New Weather Satellite Hits Snag

TOKYO, Aug 26 (News On Japan) - The Japan Meteorological Agency said it will postpone both the launch and start of operations for the Himawari-10 weather satellite by about a year.

The milestones, previously planned for fiscal 2028—launch in the year starting April 2028 and service entry the following fiscal year—will now both be targeted for fiscal 2030, which begins in April 2030. The schedule change stems from delays in manufacturing components for a high-performance sensor intended to support forecasts of linear precipitation bands, among other uses.

The agency emphasized that Himawari-9 will remain in service and that routine forecasting “will not be affected.”

Separately, the agency has been working to enhance information on linear precipitation bands, including upgrading the current half-day outlooks—now issued at the prefectural level—to municipal-level guidance in 2029. While it aims to minimize any knock-on effects by using AI and other tools, some senior officials acknowledge it may be difficult to keep the improvements on the original timetable, raising the possibility of delays to the planned information upgrades.

Source: TBS

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