Japan launches 2 intelligence satellites

(AP) Japan has launched two intelligence satellites into orbit.

Officials say the launch Sunday of the domestically produced HII-A rocket went smoothly and the satellites an operational radar satellite and an experimental optical probe appear to have reached orbit.

The radar satellite is intended to augment a network of several probes that Japan uses to collect intelligence on hotspots around the world, while the optical probe will be used to test future technology.

Japan began the intelligence satellite program after North Korea fired a long-range missile over Japan's main island in 1998. North Korea conducted a launch last month that it says carried a satellite into orbit but has been condemned by the U.S. and others as a cover for its development of missile technology.