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This satellite is the first flight on Himawari 3rd generation program.

Himawari 8 was launched atop a H-IIA rocket flying from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex Pad 1 at the Tanegashima Space Center. The launch occurred at 05:16 UTC on 7 October 2014 at 3500 kilograms at launch. and reached its operational geostationary orbit in October 2014, at 35786 kilometers and 140.7 degrees East.

Himawari 9, which is identical to Himawari 8, was launched on 2 November 2016 and placed in a stand-by orbit until 2022, when it is planned to succeed Himawari 8.