TOKYO, Japan – Japan’s space agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) announced a critical launch scheduled for February 1st, 2026, aimed at completing the nation’s indigenous geolocation system, the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS).
The Michibiki No. 7 satellite will be launched aboard an H3 rocket from Tanegashima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture.
This mission, in conjunction with another QZSS satellite scheduled for launch on December 7th, 2025, will finalize the operational constellation of seven orbiting satellites. Achieving a complete, sovereign geolocation system is essential for Japan to ensure uninterrupted services and eliminate reliance on foreign systems, such as the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS).
With the full seven-satellite constellation in orbit, Japan will ensure that a minimum of four QZSS satellites are always operating over the country’s sky, providing highly stable and accurate positioning data. JAXA’s long-term objective is to eventually expand the system to 11 operational satellites to guarantee robust service continuity even in the event of satellite malfunctions.
The Michibiki No. 7 satellite, manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric Corp., has a launch mass of approximately 4.9 metric tons and measures roughly 19 meters in width with its solar panels deployed.
Officials project that the enhanced equipment aboard the newer QZSS satellites will significantly improve positioning accuracy across Japan. Starting around 2029, geolocation errors on consumer devices like smartphones and car navigation systems are expected to narrow dramatically, from the current range of 5 to 10 meters down to approximately 1.6 meters.
