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Tasked with helping meet the increasing demand for digital communications such as mobile phones and other mobile devices, the ETS-VIII satellite was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center on December 18, 2006 (Japan Standard Time) via H-II A rocket. It was put into geostationary orbit and its solar array paddle successfully deployed. ETS-VIII's transmitter and receiver antennas were also deployed, and the satellite is orbiting normally. After its onboard equipment is checked, engineering tests will begin in the spring. |