Japanese Astronomers Spy Giant Orbiting Satellite
[Original headline: Astronomers spot spy satellite]
OKAYAMA -- A group of Japanese astronomers watching the heavens around the clock to spot any sign of huge asteroids and comets apparently found an undisclosed spy satellite, they announced Thursday.
The unidentified object was spotted at the Japan Spaceguard Association's observation center in Bisei, Okayama Prefecture, in December last year.
Officials of the association said they have since studied a list of over 8,000 man-made objects in space compiled by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), but it was not registered despite its massive size -- the satellite has a diameter of 50 meters.
Aerospace engineering specialist Nobuo Nakatomi said the object was likely to be a spy satellite.
"It is a common practice around the world to secretly launch satellites for technical or military reasons, and they won't make entry on the NORAD list," Nakatomi said. "Judging from the information available, it looks like the object is a U.S. or Chinese spy satellite."
Shuzo Isobe, director of the spaceguard association, was delighted with the ability of its 1-meter-diameter optical telescope at the Bisei Spaceguard Center.
"We will keep watching space to spot asteroids or man-made objects that can be a threat to Earth," said Isobe, who is also an assistant professor at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
Spaceguard association officials said the unidentified satellite could be observed with binoculars in the southeastern sky. (Mainichi Shimbun, April 4, 2002)
• Story originally published by:
Mainichi Shimbun [Daily News], Tokyo / Japan - Apr 04.02
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