Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30-minute program from the Voice of America.

I'm Katie Weaver.

And I'm Mario Ritter Jr.

This program is designed for English learners, so we speak a little slower and we use words and

phrases especially written for people learning English.

On today's program, Jill Robbins, reports on a new satellite Japan has put into orbit to improve

navigation.

Katie returns to tell us about India's efforts to increase its tiger population.

Brian Lynn has a story about a new supersonic aircraft on the technology report.

Then, the lesson of the day. But first...

Japan's space agency says it successfully launched a navigation satellite on its new H-3 rocket.

The latest launch on February 2nd took place as the country aims to develop a more precise positioning system.

The H-3 rocket, carrying the Michibiki 6 6 satellite lifted off from the Tanigashima Space Center on a southwestern Japanese island.

Makoto Arita oversees the H-3 project for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, known as Jaxa.

Arita said, everything went smoothly and the satellite successfully separated from the rocket,

as planned, about 29 minutes after liftoff.

Officials said it should reach its target orbit around the

earth in the middle of February. Japan's current system is called the quasi-zenith satellite system,

or QZSS. It started operating in 2018 and has four satellites that serve a regional navigation system.

The Michibiki 6 will be the fifth satellite in the network.

Michibiki's signals are used to supplement the American satellite system called the Global Positioning System, or GPS.

It will also improve positioning data for smartphones, car navigation, navigation at sea, and drones.

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