32500 - KIZUNA (WINDS)

Kizuna, also known by its pre-launch name of WINDS (Wideband InterNetworking engineering Demonstration Satellite) is a Japanese (JAXA) geostationary, technology demonstration craft that was launched by a H-2A rocket from Tanegashima island at 08:55 UT on 23 February 2008. The 4,850 kg (2,450 kg dry) craft is reported to carry an ultra-fast, 1.2 Gbps direct-to-home downlink in Ka-band, via two multi-beam antennas, one for Japan and the other covering several southeast Asian cities. It also carries an Active Phased Array Antenna (APAA) which can change the beam direction rapidly.

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 2008-02-23
Launch Vehicle: H-2A
Launch Site: Tanegashima, Japan
Mass: 2450.0 kg