WINDS

Not to be confused with Wind (spacecraft).

WINDS (Wideband InterNetworking engineering test and Demonstration Satellite, also known as Kizuna), was a Japanese communication satellite. Launch was originally scheduled for 2007.

WINDS (Kizuna)

Launch of WINDS (Kizuna) on H-IIA Flight 14.
Mission type	Communication
Operator	JAXA/NICT
COSPAR ID	2008-007A
SATCAT no.	32500
Website	JAXA
Mission duration	5 years (design) Final: 11 years, 4 days
Spacecraft properties
Bus	NX-G[1]
Manufacturer	NEC
Launch mass	4,850 kilograms (10,690 lb)
BOL mass	2,750 kilograms (6,060 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	23 February 2008, 08:55 (2008-02-23UTC08:55Z) UTC
Rocket	H-IIA
Launch site	Tanegashima Y1
Contractor	Mitsubishi
End of mission
Disposal	Decommissioned
Deactivated	27 February 2019, 06:54 (2019-02-27UTC06:55Z) UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Geostationary
Longitude	143° East
Semi-major axis	42,164 kilometres (26,199 mi)
Perigee altitude	35,784.1 kilometres (22,235.2 mi)
Apogee altitude	35,803.8 kilometres (22,247.4 mi)
Inclination	0.2 °
Period	1,436.1 minutes
Epoch	00:00:00 UTC 2016-08-31[2]

Launch

The launch date was eventually set for 15 February 2008, but a problem detected in a second stage maneuvering thruster delayed it to 23 February. Lift-off occurred at 08:55 GMT on 23 February from Tanegashima Space Center, and the satellite separated from its H-IIA carrier rocket into a Geosynchronous transfer orbit at 09:23.

Purpose

WINDS was used to relay the internet to Japanese homes and businesses through Ka-Band signals. It also tested technologies that would be utilised by future Japanese communication satellites. A part of Japan's i-Space program, WINDS was operated by JAXA and NICT.

Prior to launch, a JAXA brochure claimed that WINDS will be able to provide 155 Mbit/s download speeds to home users with 45-centimetre diameter satellite dishes, while providing industrial users via 5-metre diameter dishes with 1.2 Gbit/s speeds.^[3]

Specs

WINDS had a launch mass of 4,850 kg, reducing to a mass of around 2,750 kg after thrusting to its operational orbit. The spacecraft is 8 m x 3 m x 2 m in size, and its solar panels have a span of 21.5 metres. It has three-axis stabilisation, and a design life expectancy of five years.

Decommission

The satellite became inoperable due to communications failure on 9 February 2019,^[4] and it was decommissioned by the transmission of a deactivation command at 06:54 GMT on 27 February 2019.^[5]

See also

• H-IIA
• JAXA
• Satellite Internet access