Tansei

was the second Japanese artificial satellite which was put into orbit, after the country's first satellite Ohsumi.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ōsumi" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 762. The satellite was sent into orbit on 16 February 1971.JAXA, "Catalogue of ISAS Missions" ; retrieved 2012-4-2.

Just like Ohsumi, the launch was a project by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science at the University of Tokyo (UTokyo). The name of the satellite means "light blue", which is the school colour of UTokyo."Japan's Satellite Transmits," New York Times. February 18, 1971; retrieved 2012-4-16. Three more satellites with the same name were subsequently launched by the university. The last of them was launched on 17 February 1980.

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