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Japan Controls Rocket Launch With Just 8 People and 2 Laptops

Posted by Soulskill on from the can't-even-make-a-baseball-team-out-of-that dept.

SpaceGhost writes "Sky News reports that the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) has launched an orbital telescope on a new generation rocket from the Uchinoura Space Centre in Kagoshima, in southwestern Japan. The Epsilon rocket uses an onboard AI for autonomous launch checks by the rocket itself (launch video). A product of renewed focus on reducing costs, the new vehicle required two laptops and a launch team of eight, compared to the 150 people needed to launch the previous platform, the M-5. Because of the reduced launch team and ease of construction, production and launch costs of the Epsilon are roughly half that of the M-5. The payload, a SPRINT-A telescope, is designed for planetary observation."

5 of 94 comments (clear)

  1. They are using only 5 people and a PS4... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...to control Fukushima.

    Japanese efficiency wins again.

    1. Re:They are using only 5 people and a PS4... by durrr · · Score: 5, Funny

      Japan have a company called Cyberdyne.
      Japanese rocket launches are AI controlled.

      I see where this is going.

  2. Almost 94.7%! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Meanwhile in America... 45%? Please... Don't make me laugh!

    From 150 people to 8! That's almost 94.7% gone. See that, America? That's how you do it...

  3. So.... by ZipXap · · Score: 5, Funny

    It now takes less people to launch a Japanese rocket than to maintain a Windows server in the data center....

    1. Re:So.... by RabidReindeer · · Score: 5, Funny

      It now takes less people to launch a Japanese rocket than to maintain a Windows server in the data center....

      That's because the rocket is less likely to careen off-course and explode.