US Space Force and Japan launch new satellites to boost surveillance across the Pacific and further beyond

Japan has now launched the second U.S. surveillance payload under the program The payload will feed near-real-time orbital data to U.S. forces Mission Delta 2 will operate the American payload after deployment The United States Space Force and Japan have completed a bilateral satellite launch meant to strengthen surveillance capabilities across the Pacific region and beyond.

A US space domain awareness payload was carried aboard Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite 7 , launched from Tanegashima Space Center.

This mission marked the second and final launch under the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System-Hosted Payload program, described as the first bilateral U.S.-Japan cooperative effort built specifically around national security.

A wider watch over the Indo-Pacific The US payload will be operated by Combat Forces Command's Mission Delta 2, a unit that identifies and tracks objects across contested orbital terrain.

Mission Delta 2 is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado and maintains a presence at 11 separate operating locations worldwide.

Once fully operational, the payload is expected to deliver near real-time data to the Space Surveillance Network, expanding awareness of the geosynchronous orbit above the Indo-Pacific.

Both US payloads under the program were designed and built by MIT Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts, while the Japanese host satellites came from Mitsubishi Electric Corporation in Kamakura.

The arrangement traces back to a December 2020 agreement between the two nations to jointly execute the hosted-payload program.

Officials describe the effort as evidence of a maturing alliance built around shared access to orbital infrastructure.

"The successful launch of QZS-7 is a powerful testament to the enduring strength and rapid modernization of the U.S.-Japan alliance," said Col.

Bryon McClain, Space Force portfolio acquisition executive for Space Combat Power.

He added that merging capabilities in satellite communications helps maintain security in a contested space domain.

A project years in the making According to the program’s officials, the launch was preceded by two years of integration work between U.S. and Japanese engineering teams.

"QZSS-HP is a key contributor to help us meet the threat of peer adversaries in space," said Col.