The countdown for the launch of Japan’s Optical Inter-orbit Communication Engineering Test Satellite (OICETS) and a piggyback spacecraft is underway for an Aug. 24 launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The satellite will be launched into low earth orbit via a Dnepr launch vehicle provided by ISC Kosmotras.

According to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, OICETS will enable optical inter-orbit communication tests between satellites tens of thousands of kilometers apart. The communications system is designed to provide more stable communications between satellites with less interference through lighter, more compact communications equipment. The optical communications system will be tested with the European Space Agency’s Artemis satellite.