Japan's first stationary weather monitoring satellite

On this day, July 14th, 1977, Japan launched its first geostationary meteorological satellite, the Himawari-1. Interestingly, it was launched from Florida in the United States. The name Himawari, meaning sunflower, was chosen because sunflowers always face the sun, just as the satellite, conversely, always faces Earth.

Now, in 2026, the active metrological satellite is Himawari-9. It was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima Prefecture. The Himawari-10 is reportedly still in development. The launch date and location have not yet been officially confirmed,  though current planning suggests a launch around 2030, likely again from Tanegashima.

Photo: from the JAXA Earth Observation Center in Hatoyama, Saitama Prefecture