Mitsubishi Electric Corporation  has completed expansion of the satellite production facility at the company's Kamakura Works in Kamakura, Japan. Completed today, the upgraded facility doubles Mitsubishi Electric's annual satellite production capacity to eight satellites, the largest among all facilities operated by Japanese satellite manufacturers.

Mitsubishi Electric has delivered a variety of satellites that now support daily life, including the meteorological satellite Himawari-7, the first Japan-made commercial communications satellite Superbird-C2 and the Quasi-Zenith Satellite-1 MICHIBIKI, which provides location-information services. Currently, the company is developing the Himawari-8, Himawari-9 and ALOS-2 satellites, the last of which will succeed the DAICHI in gathering disaster-related data in areas affected by large-scale natural disasters such as the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.

The global satellite market is showing increasing demand for communication and other purposes. In addition, Japan's Basic Plan for Space Policy, announced on January 25 as the nation's space plan for the five fiscal years beginning April 2013, includes expanded use of space for telecommunications, broadcasting, positioning and remote sensing purposes that will contribute to improved quality of life.

Mitsubishi Electric looks forward to operating its manufacturing facilities to help develop and manufacture satellites that further enrich daily life.