Posted: Sun, Feb 11, 2018, 9:47 AM ET (1447 GMT)
Japan's space agency successfully launched a cubesat on a converted sounding rocket. The SS-520-5 rocket lifted off from the Uchinoura Space Center at 12:03 am EST Feb. 3 (0503 GMT) and placed the TRICOM-1R cubesat into an elliptical orbit. The SS-520 is the smallest rocket yet to place a satellite into orbit, and Japanese companies have plans to commercialize the vehicle for dedicated cubesat launches.

Related Links:

•  Asahi Shimbun article
•  Kyodo article
•  The Verge article