Japan's future space plans

[selvaarchi]

Japan has been a space power for many years. It participates in the ISS and launches 2 or 3 rockets a year. Now the new Japanese government wants to give it a bigger role in developing Japan's potential military use of space. This could up their launch rates to 3 to 5 a year.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0KI18F20150109

Japan is shifting its space program toward potential military uses in a new policy hailed on Friday as a "historic turning point" by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who wants to strengthen defence and boost exports.

The move comes as emerging powers such as China and India join the United States to expand space activities for commercial and security purposes.

[selvaarchi]

This article is about NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency discussions about how to recover the science lost with the failure of Japan’s Hitomi astronomy spacecraft. Within it are some future plans that Japan has which I was not aware of.

http://spacenews.com/nasa-and-jaxa-b...itomi-failure/

One challenge facing that effort is that there does not appear to be an opportunity to fly a full-fledged Hitomi replacement, led by JAXA, through the end of the 2020s. Hitomi was a large, or “strategic,” space science mission for JAXA, which that agency flies only every several years. JAXA has already planned the next several strategic missions, including a Mars mission in 2022 and a joint infrared astronomy mission with the European Space Agency slated for 2028.

Tsuneta suggested that he would not seek to disrupt that schedule to fly a Hitomi replacement. “These missions should reach the implementation phase as early as possible regardless of the problems with Hitomi,” he said.

[selvaarchi]

Yet another article in this weeks "The Space Review" on "The “Asian Space Race” and China’s solar system exploration: domestic and international rationales" has more details on Japan's future plans.

Can anyone in our forum confirm if these plans are still current?

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3007/1

Japan’s Hagoromo lunar orbiter, deployed in 1990, reached orbit but ceased transmitting enroute. The country’s SELENE orbiter and impactor, launched in 2007, was a success and Japan now has plans to land a rover on the Moon’s surface in 2018. Though the Nozomi spacecraft sent to Mars, launched in 1998, was a failure, Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency has been considering plans for a robotic sample-return mission to one of Mars’ moons in the early 2020s. Meanwhile, Japan has embarked on a successful campaign of asteroid exploration, with the Hayabusa spacecraft returning a sample of asteroid material in 2010 and the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft, launched in 2014, scheduled to return more asteroid material in 2020.

[7cscb]

Yet another article in this weeks "The Space Review" on "The “Asian Space Race” and China’s solar system exploration: domestic and international rationales" has more details on Japan's future plans.

Can anyone in our forum confirm if these plans are still current?

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3007/1

First time I hear of an Asian space race. This article is way too long and I can't think of any insight it provides to the space industry. I admit I only scanned after having read about a third. You could use this article as a template for any industry to try to analyze China's insidious plans at incremental hegemony. lol. Or maybe even to rise in disingenuous protest. Apparently, while some believe China is 40 to 50 years behind, others believe the USA should be countering its rise now. lol.

Read better stuff.

[selvaarchi]

First time I hear of an Asian space race. This article is way too long and I can't think of any insight it provides to the space industry. I admit I only scanned after having read about a third. You could use this article as a template for any industry to try to analyze China's insidious plans at incremental hegemony. lol. Or maybe even to rise in disingenuous protest. Apparently, while some believe China is 40 to 50 years behind, others believe the USA should be countering its rise now. lol.

Read better stuff.

I agree with your views here. I only included it here because it had some information on Japan's future plans on landing a rover on the moon in 2018 and it ties in with the previous article on Japan's plan - a Mars mission in 2022 and a joint infrared astronomy mission with the European Space Agency slated for 2028. I had not realized that Japan like NASA did these 10-15 year plans where they choose one major scientific mission every few years.

[selvaarchi]

Japan to decide by year end, if they will replace the the failed Hitomi astronomy satellite.

http://spacenews.com/japan-to-decide...-by-years-end/

The Japanese parliament will decide by the end of the year whether to fund development of a replacement for the failed Hitomi astronomy satellite, the head of Japan’s space agency said Sept. 22.

In a speech at a Space Transportation Association luncheon here, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency President Naoki Okumura said the ministry responsible for JAXA included funding to start work on a Hitomi replacement in a budget request recently submitted to the finance ministry to be considered by the Diet.

“Typically, in Japan the budget bill passes the Diet at the end of December,” he said. “So if everything goes well, that should happen in December.”

[selvaarchi]

Japan to launch a weather satellite tomorrow. Their 2nd launch for this year.

http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/or...her-satellite/

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is set to launch the second of two Himawari (“Sunflower”) weather satellites on Nov. 2 from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) – a delay from Nov. 1. Himawari 9 is a next-generation Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) satellite that will observe clouds, sea surface temperatures, volcanic ash, and other phenomena.

The launch was delayed 24 hours due to unfavorable weather that was forecasted for the rocket’s roll-out. Liftoff is currently set for 3:20 p.m. Japan Standard Time (2:20 a.m. EDT/6:20 p.m. GMT). The launch window will be 2 hours, 58 minutes in length.

[selvaarchi]

Now we have news the there will be a 3rd Japanese launch this year

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1018111.shtml

Japan will launch a satellite next month to study high energy electrons in geospace, announced Japanese space agency on Tuesday.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said it will launch the satellite named the Exploration of energization and Radiation in Geospace (ERG) aboard a second-generation Epsilon rocket.

The launch time is scheduled to be between 8 p.m. (1100 GMT) and 9 p.m.(1200 GMT) on Dec. 20 and the launch site will be at Uchinoura Space Center in Kimotsuki in Japan's southwestern Kagoshima prefecture, according to JAXA.

[selvaarchi]

It is not often that we get articles on Japan's space programme. Here is one and it shows why it is in 5th place ahead of India in the rankings of the major space faring nations.

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2...ace/japan.html

The U.S. and China are spending billions of headline-grabbing dollars in a tacit race to put humans on Mars. Japan prefers lower-key missions in the opposite direction, sending mechanical explorers toward Venus and Mercury for a fraction of the price.

A $290 million probe orbiting Venus is collecting information about the scorching atmosphere that may foretell Earth’s future. A collaborative mission with Europe will measure Mercury’s magnetic field and electromagnetic waves. Another craft is gliding toward an asteroid to search for water.

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[7cscb]

Hi Selvaarchi,

You forgot quotation marks. Regardless, space race is a funny term. It should be space races. You yourself laud China's anticipated moon landing as the achievement of first landing on the dark side of the moon and you feel China is 'catching up' and will 'surpass' USA. You and I will agree that India has outrun the big guys in some sprints. So have most of the other players and I add with pride Canada has its own firsts. As your link points out, now, there is even an Asian space race. Yet in other threads, you denounce the notion of space race as hampering space progress.

The reason I point this out is that, as in other industries, all countries compete against each other. It is natural and healthy for us all. Take the computer industry. It is now profitable worldwide. Regardless, of who is actually leading, we all have smartphones. The same thing will be happening in space. Arguably, USA is ahead of everybody. Its lead will surely diminish as everybody tries to 'catch up'. Long term, because of this race we will all benefit, no matter which side we are rooting for and who is notching the milestones.

Cheers

Cheers,

[selvaarchi]

Here I agree with you. Space is an area where we will get a lot more players in the next few areas. Here I refer to both government agencies as well as the private sector.

As you point out this can only be good for space exploration as a whole. It will spur innovation in this area and cut down the access cost to space.

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[selvaarchi]

Japan is developing cheaper rockets to launch both small and large satellites.

http://asia.nikkei.com/Tech-Science/...cheaper-course

"Rocket development in Japan is getting lighter and leaner as more startups and private businesses enter the field. The industry, once dominated by government demand for large rockets, has seen an uptick in smaller, privately developed vehicles, with a number of projects now approaching the test-flight stage. Successful launches, as well as cost-cutting efforts, could put Japan's aerospace industry on track for commercial competitiveness."

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[selvaarchi]

Japan is developing cheaper rockets to launch both small and large satellites.

http://asia.nikkei.com/Tech-Science/...cheaper-course

"Rocket development in Japan is getting lighter and leaner as more startups and private businesses enter the field. The industry, once dominated by government demand for large rockets, has seen an uptick in smaller, privately developed vehicles, with a number of projects now approaching the test-flight stage. Successful launches, as well as cost-cutting efforts, could put Japan's aerospace industry on track for commercial competitiveness."

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More details of Japanese private industry participation in the launch industry.

http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tren...-some-new-life

"Japan's space industry is set to take off in 2017, thanks to a growing number of private enterprises moving toward the launch pad.

The state-run Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, as well as heavy machinery makers Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and IHI have so far been key engines of Japan's aerospace industry.

Now other companies aspire to break in."

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[selvaarchi]

This article is about NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency discussions about how to recover the science lost with the failure of Japan’s Hitomi astronomy spacecraft. Within it are some future plans that Japan has which I was not aware of.

http://spacenews.com/nasa-and-jaxa-b...itomi-failure/

The discussions to replace the lost HITOMI telescope between JAXA & NASA has progressed. We are waiting for the budget approvals to start building the replacement.

http://spacenews.com/nasa-and-jaxa-t...omy-telescope/

"NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA will start work this spring on an orbiting X-ray astronomy telescope to replace one lost shortly after launch last year.

In a presentation to the Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics of the National Academies March 28, Paul Hertz, director of NASA’s astrophysics division, said a formal start of the project known as the X-Ray Astronomy Recovery Mission (XARM) will take place shortly after the start of the new Japanese fiscal year April 1.

“We are moving forward with the X-Ray Astronomy Recovery Mission,” Hertz said. The mission, he said, was included in the Japanese government’s budget for the new fiscal year, pending approval by the country’s parliament, the Diet."

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[publiusr]

I'd like to see them make a fly-back booster.

[selvaarchi]

Wow, Japan to launch 8 rockets this year

http://asia.nikkei.com/Tech-Science/...in-fiscal-2017

The number of rockets Japan will launch for its key space projects will total*a record figure of*eight in fiscal 2017.
The increase in the number of launches by the government's Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries comes as the country becomes capable of independently launching*rockets*of*all sizes. It also coincides with a project to launch satellites to form a Japanese global positioning system, which gets underway in earnest this year.


The Japanese government plans to further shorten the intervals between launches in response to growing business demand for satellites for use in GPS services and aerial imaging.

[selvaarchi]

Japan have their eyes on the moons of Mars. In fact they hope to bring samples from the moons back to earth

http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Jap...ormed_999.html

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has announced a mission to visit the two moons of Mars and return a rock sample to Earth. It's a plan to uncover both the mystery of the moons' creation and, perhaps, how life began in our Solar System.

[selvaarchi]

JAXA has started testing the rocket engine for their next generation rocket.

http://asia.nikkei.com/Tech-Science/...eration-rocket

"The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, began the first round of firing tests for the LE-9 engine on the southern island of Tanegashima in late April. A total of 11 ground tests are scheduled through June to check performance and durability.

After completing another round of firing tests in fiscal 2018 starting next April, developers will construct the actual engine that will be installed in the H-III."

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[publiusr]

Rocket charts
http://imgur.com/smVsoBr
http://global.jaxa.jp/projects/rockets/h3/
http://www.parabolicarc.com/2017/05/10/hiii-story/

They will use liquid hydrogen. Folks over here--outside of SLS--seem to be moving away from that.

[Glom]

Rocket charts
http://imgur.com/smVsoBr
http://global.jaxa.jp/projects/rockets/h3/
http://www.parabolicarc.com/2017/05/10/hiii-story/

They will use liquid hydrogen. Folks over here--outside of SLS--seem to be moving away from that.

Yeah but the Japanese like simplicity in their molecules. Just look at their flag.

[selvaarchi]

JAXA has started testing the rocket engine for their next generation rocket.

The success of these tests are crucial for Japan's future space exploration plans.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Tech-Science...rocket-program

Japan's rocket program is about to enter a critical phase, with full-power firing tests of an all-important new engine set to begin amid intensifying global competition.

Researchers at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are gearing up for the next round of tests of the new LE-9 engine -- the centerpiece of the next-generation H3 rocket.

Success will be crucial to Japan's space industry as it plays catch-up in the race to develop next-generation rockets -- in which faster and cheaper delivery is set to be pivotal.

[selvaarchi]

Japan is spending on space infrastructure to increase their launch rate.

http://spacenews.com/japan-to-add-se...ort-h3-rocket/

Seeking to double the number of launches it can conduct annually, Japan will add a second launch pad to the Tanegashima spaceport to support its next-generation H3 rocket.

Speaking at the Satellite 2018 conference March 12, Ko Ogasawara, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ vice president and general manager for space systems, said current launch infrastructure is constraining the company’s ability to launch more than around four missions per year. By comparison, Arianespace, SpaceX and United Launch Alliance, average twice that amount or more annually.

Ogasawara said MHI has only one launch pad for H2A, the rocket it currently builds and launches mainly for domestic government missions. He estimated it takes roughly two months to refurbish the pad between missions, limiting the maximum number of launches Tanegashima can support.

[selvaarchi]

"Entering a crowded market, Japan’s new rocket scores an early win"

https://arstechnica.com/science/2018...-an-early-win/

Japan's largest rocket company, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), has received a vote of confidence as it seeks to compete for commercial launches in an increasingly crowded market. Earlier this month, the company announced an agreement with satellite operator Inmarsat for a launch in 2022 or later.

Significantly, the flight will take place on Mitsubishi's new H3 rocket, which was designed and developed to fly at a lower cost in order to attract more commercial business. It was the first commercial contract for the rocket, which is set to debut in 2020 by launching a satellite payload for Japan's space agency, JAXA.

[selvaarchi]

Japan's current and future space plans include collaboration with other nations.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20.../#.XCtoQlwzbIV

Japan is launching multiple missions to explore the mysteries of the solar system in the coming years, joining hands with the European Union and countries such as India to compete with space superpowers such as the United States and Russia.

The ultimate goal of space exploration is “to expand the areas of activities for humans and find another habitable planet. I believe there is a possibility that we can colonize Mars,” said Hitoshi Kuninaka, a vice president of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

[selvaarchi]

"Japan’s new H3 launcher delayed by rocket engine component issues"

https://spacenews.com/japans-new-h3-...ponent-issues/

The first launches of the new Japanese H3 launch vehicle are being delayed by issues with two components of the rocket’s main engine, the country’s space agency confirms.

The Japanese space agency JAXA told SpaceNews that problems were found with the new LE-9 engine’s combustion chamber and turbopump.

“Fatigue fracture surfaces were confirmed in the apertural area of the combustion chamber inner wall and the FTP blade of the turbo pump,” according to a JAXA spokesperson.

[publiusr]

Their LE-9 engine looks like it can throttle back a good deal. I hope the bugs are worked out.