The National Space Development Agency of Japan,or NASDA,was a Japanese national space agency established on October 1,1969 under the National Space Development Agency Law only for peaceful purposes. Based on the Space Development Program enacted by the Minister of Education,Culture,Sports,Science and Technology (MEXT),NASDA was responsible for developing satellites and launch vehicles as well as launching and tracking them.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations,JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research,technology development and launch of satellites into orbit,and is involved in many more advanced missions such as asteroid exploration and possible human exploration of the Moon. Its motto is One JAXA and its corporate slogan is Explore to Realize.
The H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV),also called Kounotori,is an expendable,automated cargo spacecraft used to resupply the Kibō Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) and the International Space Station (ISS). The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has been working on the design since the early 1990s. The first mission,HTV-1,was originally intended to be launched in 2001. It launched at 17:01 UTC on 10 September 2009 on an H-IIB launch vehicle. The name Kounotori was chosen for the HTV by JAXA because "a white stork carries an image of conveying an important thing,therefore,it precisely expresses the HTV's mission to transport essential materials to the ISS". The HTV is very important for resupplying the ISS because after the retirement of the Space Shuttle it is the only vehicle that can transfer new 41.3 in (105 cm) wide International Standard Payload Racks (ISPRs) and dispose old ISPRs that can fit the 51 in (130 cm) wide tunnels between modules in the US Orbital Segment.
Institute of Space and Astronautical Science,or ISAS,is a Japanese national research organization of astrophysics using rockets,astronomical satellites and interplanetary probes which played a major role in Japan's space development. Since 2003,it is a division of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
The National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL),was established in July 1955. Originally known as the National Aeronautical Laboratory,it assumed its present name with the addition of the Aerospace Division in 1963. Since its establishment,it has pursued research on aircraft,rockets,and other aeronautical transportation systems,as well as peripheral technology. NAL was involved in the development of the autonomous ALFLEX aircraft and the cancelled HOPE-X spaceplane.
Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS),also called Daichi,was a 3810 kg Japanese satellite launched in 2006. After five years of service,the satellite lost power and ceased communication with Earth,but remains in orbit.
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2006 in spaceflight,including major launches and EVAs. 2006 saw Brazil,Iran,and Sweden all get a national into space for the first time.
JAXA Engineering Test SatelliteETS-VIII was the eighth technology test satellite in a series which started with ETS-1 in 1975 by NASDA. It was launched with the H-2A on December 18,2006. ETS-VIII was developed by JAXA in cooperation with NICT and NTT. The aim of ETS-VIII was to enable satellite communications with small terminals. Unlike the Iridium satellites for mobile communication,ETS-VIII was positioned at GEO. However to fulfill the task,it was essential that the satellite carried two very large antennas. It was the first use of the 204 configuration of the H-IIA launch vehicle.
The ETS-VII,or Engineering Test Satellite No. 7,was a satellite developed and launched by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). It is also known as KIKU-7. It was launched aboard an H-II rocket from Tanegashima Space Center,on 28 November 1997. The ETS-VII was equipped with a 2-meter-long (6.6 ft) robotic arm,which was used to carry out several experiments related to rendezvous docking and space robotics. It was the world's first satellite to be equipped with a robotic arm,and also Japan's first uncrewed spacecraft to conduct autonomous rendezvous and docking operations successfully,decades after the docking of the Soviet Kosmos 186 and Kosmos 188 spacecraft in 1967. Although it was originally intended to be used for 1.5 years,the satellite was functional for a period of almost five years. ETS-VII eventually decayed from orbit on 13 November 2015.
The N-II or N-2 was a derivative of the American Delta rocket,produced under licence in Japan. It replaced the N-I-rocket in Japanese use. It used a Thor-ELT first stage,a Delta-F second stage,nine Castor SRMs,and on most flights either a Star-37E or Burner-2 upper stage,identical to the US Delta 0100 series configurations. Eight were launched between 1981 and 1987,before it was replaced by the H-I,which featured Japanese-produced upper stages. All eight launches were successful.
The Earth Observation Center is a Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) aeronautical research facility located in Hatoyama,Saitama,Japan. It utilizes remote sensing technologies such as satellites to study Earth's environment from outer space. The research done by this center has a substantial impact on the study of the Earth's environmental phenomena,such as global warming.
The Japanese space program originated in the mid-1950s as a research group led by Hideo Itokawa at the University of Tokyo. The size of the rockets produced gradually increased from under 30 cm (12 in) at the start of the project,to over 15 m (49 ft) by the mid-1960s. The aim of the original research project was to launch a man-made satellite.
The Epsilon Launch Vehicle,or Epsilon rocket,is a Japanese solid-fuel rocket designed to launch scientific satellites. It is a follow-on project to the larger and more expensive M-V rocket which was retired in 2006. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) began developing the Epsilon in 2007. It is capable of placing a 590 kg payload into Sun-synchronous orbit.
The H3 Launch Vehicle is a Japanese expendable launch system. H3 launch vehicles are liquid-propellant rockets with strap-on solid rocket boosters and are launched from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and JAXA are responsible for the design,manufacture,and operation of the H3. The H3 is the world's first rocket to use an expander bleed cycle for the first stage engine.
New Space-Station Resupply Vehicle,tentatively called HTV-X,is an uncrewed expendable cargo spacecraft under development by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as the successor of H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV). As of December 2023,the first flight is planned to be launched in early 2025 to resupply the International Space Station.
Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is a lunar lander mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The lander's initial launch date in 2021 was postponed until 2023 due to delays in its rideshare,the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM). On 6 September 2023 at 23:42 UTC,XRISM successfully launched,and SLIM separated from it later that day.
The Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program is a series of spacecraft missions for testing technology and ideas put forward by universities and private companies. The program demonstrates various experimental devices and technology in space by providing flight opportunities. It is managed by the JAXA Research and Development Directorate. According to JAXA,the goal of this program is to test high risk,innovative technology that will lead to the space industry gaining competitiveness in the international field.
RAPIS-1 is a satellite launched on 18 January 2019 which for over a year was used to test seven technology demonstration projects. RAPIS-1 was developed and operated by Axelspace Corporation,under the coordination of the Japanese space agency JAXA.
RAISE-2 was a smallsat for technology demonstration,part of the Japanese space agency JAXA's Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program. RAISE-2 was launched on 9 November 2021 as the main satellite of Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-2. RAISE-2 was developed by Mitsubishi Electric.
