# Ohsumi

> first Japanese satellite put into orbit

**Wikidata**: [Q166596](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q166596)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohsumi_(satellite))  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/ohsumi

## Summary
Ohsumi is the first Japanese satellite put into orbit. It was a technology demonstration artificial Earth satellite launched on 1970-02-11 by a Lambda 4S rocket from Uchinoura Space Center and remained in orbit until atmospheric entry on 2003-08-02.

## Key Facts
- Ohsumi is the first Japanese satellite put into orbit.  
- Instance of: technology demonstration spacecraft and artificial satellite of the Earth.  
- Launch date: 1970-02-11.  
- Launch vehicle: Lambda 4S.  
- Launch site (start point): Uchinoura Space Center.  
- COSPAR ID / NSSDCA ID: 1970-011A.  
- Time of orbit decay (atmospheric entry): 2003-08-02.  
- Named after: Ōsumi Province.  
- Alternate name / alias: Ōsumi.  
- Identifiers: SCN 04330; Freebase ID /m/05403j.  
- Wikipedia title: Ohsumi (satellite); Commons category: Ohsumi.

## FAQs
### Q: What is Ohsumi?
A: Ohsumi is the first Japanese satellite placed into orbit. It was a technology demonstration spacecraft launched by Japan on 1970-02-11.

### Q: When and where was Ohsumi launched?
A: Ohsumi was launched on 1970-02-11 from Uchinoura Space Center using a Lambda 4S expendable carrier rocket.

### Q: How long did Ohsumi remain in orbit?
A: Ohsumi remained in orbit from its launch on 1970-02-11 until its atmospheric entry on 2003-08-02.

## Why It Matters
Ohsumi is a milestone in Japan’s space history because it was the first satellite the country successfully put into orbit. As a technology demonstration spacecraft, Ohsumi validated launch and satellite technologies for Japan and served as an early operational proof-point for the nation’s native launch vehicle capabilities (Lambda 4S) and space infrastructure (Uchinoura Space Center). Its operational lifetime—remaining in orbit from 1970 until atmospheric entry in 2003—also marks it as a long-lived early satellite. The mission’s formal identifiers (COSPAR ID 1970-011A, NSSDCA ID 1970-011A) and archival entries (Freebase, SCN) make Ohsumi a well-documented object in historical and technical records. For researchers, historians, and engineers, Ohsumi represents an early and verifiable example of a national first in satellite deployment and technology demonstration.

## Notable For
- Being the first Japanese satellite put into orbit.  
- Launched 1970-02-11 by a Lambda 4S rocket from Uchinoura Space Center.  
- Classified as a technology demonstration spacecraft and an artificial satellite of the Earth.  
- Remaining in orbit until atmospheric entry on 2003-08-02.  
- Named after Ōsumi Province and also known as Ōsumi.

## Body

### Overview
- Name: Ohsumi (alias: Ōsumi).  
- Primary description: first Japanese satellite put into orbit.  
- Classifications: technology demonstration spacecraft; artificial satellite of the Earth.  
- Named after Ōsumi Province.

### Launch details
- Launch date: 1970-02-11.  
- Launch vehicle: Lambda 4S (expendable carrier rocket).  
- Launch site (start point): Uchinoura Space Center.  
- Significant event recorded: rocket launch at Uchinoura Space Center on 1970-02-11.

### Operational history
- In-orbit period: from launch on 1970-02-11 until atmospheric entry on 2003-08-02.  
- Significant event recorded: atmospheric entry (time of object orbit decay) on 2003-08-02.

### Identifiers and records
- COSPAR ID: 1970-011A.  
- NSSDCA ID: 1970-011A.  
- SCN: 04330.  
- Freebase ID: /m/05403j.  
- Wikipedia title: Ohsumi (satellite).  
- Commons category: Ohsumi.  
- Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID: topic/Osumi (qualifier Ōsumi).

### Media and documentation
- Image available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Ohsumi.jpg.  
- Wikimedia Commons category: Ohsumi.  
- Multiple language entries exist for the topic (including English, German, Spanish, Finnish, Persian, and others).

### Related items
- Launch vehicle class: Lambda 4S (country: Japan).  
- Related classes: artificial satellite of the Earth; technology demonstration spacecraft.

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013