(Redirected from JAXA)
The , or 'JAXA', is
Japan's national
aerospace agency. JAXA was formed on
October 1,
2003 through the
merger of three previously independent organizations. JAXA is responsible for research, development and launch of
satellites into
orbit, and is fundamentally involved in many missions such as
asteroid exploration and a possible manned mission to the
moon.
History
On
October 12003, three organizations were merged to form the new JAXA: Japan's '
Institute of Space and Astronautical Science' (or ISAS), the '
National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan' (NAL), and Japan's '
National Space Development Agency' (NASDA).
Before the merger, ISAS was responsible for
space and planetary research, while NAL was focused on aviation research. NASDA, which was founded on
October 1,
1969, had developed
rockets, satellites, and also built the
Japanese Experiment Module, which is slated to be launched and added to the
International Space Station during
Space Shuttle assembly flights in
2008.
[2] The old NASDA headquarters were located at the current site of the
Tanegashima Space Center, on
Tanegashima Island, 115 kilometers south of
Kyūshū. NASDA also trained Japanese astronauts, who flew with the US
Space Shuttles.
Rockets
JAXA uses the
H-IIA (H "two" A) rocket from the former NASDA body to launch engineering test satellites, weather satellites, etc. For science missions like
X-ray astronomy, JAXA has been using the
M-V solid-fueled rocket from the former ISAS. Additionally, JAXA is developing together with
IHI,
United Launch Alliance, and Galaxy Express Corporation (GALEX), the
GX rocket. The GX will be the first rocket world wide to use
liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the
propellant. For experiments in the upper atmosphere JAXA uses the SS-520, S-520, and S-310 sounding rockets.
Success so far
Prior to the establishment of JAXA, ISAS had been most successful in its space program in the field of X-ray astronomy during the 1980s and 90s. Another successful area for Japan has been
Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) with the
HALCA mission. Additional success was achieved with solar observation and research of the
magnetosphere, among other areas.
NASDA was mostly active in the field of communication satellite technology. However, since the satellite market of Japan is completely open, the first time a Japanese company won a contract for a civilian communication satellite was only in 2005. Another prime focus of the NASDA body is Earth
climate observation.
Launch development and missions
Rocket History
Japan launched its first satellite Ohsumi in 1970 with the M-4 rocket by ISAS. Unlike solid fueled rockets, Japan chose a much slower path with liquid fueled rocket technology. In the beginning NASDA used American models in licence. The first model developed in Japan was the
H-II introduced in 1994. However at the end of the 90s with two H-II launch failures, Japanese rocket technology came under criticism.
Early H-IIA missions
Japan's first space mission under JAXA, an H-IIA rocket launch on
November 292003, ended in failure due to stress problems. After a 15 month hiatus, JAXA performed a successful launch of an H-IIA rocket from
Tanegashima Space Center, placing a satellite into orbit on
February 262005.
Interplanetary Missions
Japan's first missions beyond Earth orbit were the 1985 Halley comet observation satellites
Suisei and
Sakigake. To prepare for future mission, ISAS tested Earth swing by orbits with the
Hiten mission in 1990.
Currently interplanetary missions remain at the ISAS group under the JAXA umbrella. However for FY 2008 JAXA is planning to set up an independent working group within the organisation. New head for this group will be
Hayabusa project manager Kawaguchi. [
[1]]
'Active Mission:' Hayabusa 'Under Development:'
SELENE,
Planet-C,
BepiColombo,
Hayabusa 2?
Small Body Exploration: Hayabusa mission
On
May 92003,
Hayabusa (meaning,
Peregrine falcon), was launched from an
M-V rocket. The goal of this mission is to collect samples from an
asteroid. The craft was scheduled to
rendezvous in November of 2005, and return to
Earth with samples from the asteroid by July of 2007. It was confirmed that the spacecraft successfully landed on the asteroid on
November 202005, after some initial confusion regarding the incoming data. On
November 262005, Hayabusa succeeded in making a soft contact, but whether it gathered the samples or not is unknown. Hayabusa is slated to return to earth in
2010.
For details see
Hayabusa,
Hayabusa 2
Solar sail research
On
August 92004, ISAS successfully deployed two prototype solar sails from a sounding rocket. A clover type sail was deployed at 122 km altitude and a fan type sail was deployed at 169 km altitude. Both sails used 7.5
micrometer thick film.
ISAS tested a solar sail again as a sub payload to the Astro-F (Akari) mission on
February 222006. However the solar sail did not deploy fully. ISAS tested a solar sail again as a sub payload of the Solar-B launch at September 23 2006, but contact with the probe was lost. The goal is to have a solar sail mission to Jupiter after 2010.
Astronomy Program
The first Japanese astronomy mission was x-ray satellite Hakucho (Corsa-B), which was launched in 1979. Later
ISAS moved into solar observation, radio astronomy through Space
VLBI and infrared astronomy.
'Active Mission:' Suzaku, Akari, Hinode ' Under Development:' ASTRO-G
Infrared astronomy
Japan's first infrared astronomy mission was the 15 cm IRTS telescope which was part of the SFU multipurpose satellite in 1995. IRTS scanned during its one month lifetime around 7% of the sky before SFU got brought back to Earth by the Space Shuttle. During the 1990s JAXA also gave ground support for the
ESA Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) infrared mission.
The next step for JAXA was the
Akari spacecraft, with the pre-launch designation
ASTRO-F. This satellite was launched on 21 February 2006. Its mission is
infrared astronomy with a 68 cm telescope. This is the first all sky survey since the first infrared mission IRAS in 1983.
(A 3.6 kg
nanosatellite named
CUTE-1.7 was also released from the same launch vehicle.)
[2]
JAXA is also doing further R&D for increasing the performance of its mechanical coolers for its future infrared mission SPICA. This would enable a warm launch without liquid helium. SPICA has the same size as the
ESA Herschel Space Observatory mission, but is planned with a temperature of just 4.5 K to be much colder. The launch is planned for the year 2015, however the mission is not yet fully funded. Also
ESA and
NASA might contribute an instrument each.[
[3]]
For details see
Akari, IRTS
X-ray astronomy
Starting from 1979 Japan achieved for nearly 20 years continuous observation with its Hakucho, Tenma, Ginga and Asca x-ray observation satellites. However in the year 2000 the launch of Japan's fifth x-ray observation satellite
Astro-E failed.
Than on
July 102005, JAXA was finally able to launch a new
X-ray astronomy mission named
ASTRO-E II (Suzaku). This launch was important for JAXA, because in the five years since the launch failure of the original ASTRO-E satellite, Japan was without an
x-ray telescope. Three instruments were included in this satellite: an
X-ray spectrometer (XRS), an
X-ray imaging spectrometer (XIS), and a
hard X-ray detector (HXD). However, the XRS was rendered inoperable due to a malfunction which caused the satellite to lose its supply of liquid helium.
The next planned x-ray mission is the MAXI all-sky X-ray scanner. It will continuously monitors astronomical X-ray objects over a broad energy band (0.5 to 30 keV). MAXI will be installed on the Japanese external module of the ISS.[
[4]]
For details see
ASTRO-E II (Suzaku).
Solar astronomy
Japan's solar astronomy started in the early 80s with the launch of the
ASTRO-A mission.
The
Hinode (Solar-B) spacecraft, the follow-on to the Japan/US/UK
Yohkoh (Solar-A) spacecraft, was launched on 23 September 2006.
[5][6]
For details see
Hinode
Technology Tests
One of the primary duties of the former NASDA body was the testing of new space technologies, mostly in the field of communication. The first test satellite was ETS-I,launched in 1975. However during the 1990s NASDA was hit by bad luck with the problems surrounding the ETS-VI and COMETS missions.
Nevertheless testing of communication technologies remains as one of the Jaxas key duties in cooperation with
NICT.
'Active Mission:'
ETS-VIII,
OICETS, Index 'Under Development:' WINDS, QZSS-1
ETS-VIII
On October 14 Jaxa launched the LDREX-2 on the European Ariane 5 to test the deployment mechanism for the antenna of the
ETS-VIII.
ETS-VIII was launched on December 18 2006. The purpose of
ETS-VIII is to test communication equipment with two very large antennas and an atomic clock test. On December 26th both anntennas were successfully deployed.
For details see
ETS-VIII
OICETS and INDEX
On
August 242005, JAXA launched the experimental satellites
OICETS and
INDEX with the
Dnepr rocket. OICETS mission is to test optical links with the
European Space Agency (ESA) satellite
ARTEMIS, which is around 40,000 km away from OICETS. The experiment was successful on December 9, when the link could be established. In March 2006 Jaxa could establish with OICETS the worldwide first optical links between a LEO satellite and a ground station first in Japan and in June 2006 with a mobile station in Germany.
For details see
OICETS
INDEX is a small 70 kg satellite for testing various equipment and for a small
aurora observation mission. The satellite is currently in the extended mission phase.
For details see
INDEX
Earth Observation Programme
Japan's first Earth observation satellites were MOS-1a and MOS-1b launched in 1987 and 1990. During the 1990s and the new millennium this programme came under heavy fire, because both Adeos (Midori) and Adeos 2 (Midori 2) satellites failed after just 10 months in orbit.
'Active Mission:' ALOS 'Under Development:' GOSAT, GCOM-W
ALOS
In
January 2006, JAXA successfully launched the
Advanced Land Observation Satellite (ALOS/Daichi). Communication between ALOS and the ground station in Japan will be done through the Kodama Data Relay Satellite, which was launched during 2002. This project is under intense pressure due to the shorter than expected life time of the ADEOS II (Midori) Earth Observation Mission.
For details see
Advanced Land Observation Satellite
Environmental Observation
Next funded earth observation mission is the GCOM earth observation programme as a successor to ADEOS II (Midori). To reduce the risk and for a longer observation time the mission will be split into smaller satellites. Altogether GCOM will be a series of six satellites. First launch,
GCOM-W is scheduled for 2010 with the H-2A.
Other satellites
For weather observation Japan launched on February 2005 the Multi-Functional Transport Satellite 1R (
MTSAT-1R). The success of this launch was critical for Japan, since the original MTSAT-1 couldn't be put into orbit because of a launch failure with the H-2 rocket in 1999. Since then Japan relied for weather forecasting on an old satellite which was already beyond his useful life term and on American systems.
On
February 182006, JAXA successfully launched the MTSAT-2 aboard a H-IIA rocket. MTSAT-2 is the backup to the MTSAT-1R. The MTSAT-2 uses the DS-2000 satellite bus developed by Mitsubishi Electric. The DS-2000 is also used for the DRTS Kodama, ETS-VIII and the Superbird 7 communication satellite, making it the first commercial success for Japan.
As a secondary mission both the MTSAT-1R and MTSAT-2 help to direct air traffic.
Other JAXA satellites currently in use
★ Exos-D (
Akebono) Aurora Observation, since 1989.
★
GEOTAIL magnetosphere observation satellite (since 1992)
★
DRTS (Kodama) Data Relay Satellite, since 2002. (Projected Life Span is 7 years)
On going joint missions with NASA are the
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), the
Aqua Earth Observation Satellite.
Finished Missions
★
Micro Lab Sat 1, Small engineering mission, launch 2002. (retired
27 September 2006)
★
HALCA,
Space VLBI 1997-2005 (retired)
★
Nozomi,
Mars Mission 1998-2003 (failed)
★
MDS-1, Technology Demonstration 2002-2003 (retired)
★
ADEOS 2, (Midori 2) Earth Observation 2002-2003 (lost)
Future missions
As JAXA shifted away from international efforts beginning in 2005, plans are developing for independent space missions, such as a proposed manned mission to the
moon.
2007
In early 2007, Japan plans to launch another IGS. The launch of the long-delayed moon mission
SELENE is planned for the summer. Around the same time JAXA's other moon mission,
LUNAR-A will have its full flight test for the penetrator. Also in the same year Jaxa plans to launch the long delayed WINDS communication satellite whose mission is to give Japan faster internet connections.
2008 and beyond
JAXA plans to field its new
H-IIB rocket in 2008.
The satellite
GOSAT (Greenhouse Gas Observing SATellite) is to be launched to help scientists determine and monitor the density distribution of
carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. The satellite is being jointly developed by JAXA and Japan's
Ministry of the Environment. JAXA is building the satellite while the Ministry is in charge of the data that will be collected. Since the number of ground-based carbon dioxide observatories cannot monitor enough of the world's atmosphere and are distributed unevenly throughout the globe, the GOSAT may be able to gather more accurate data and fill in the gaps on the globe where there are no observatories on the ground. Sensors for
methane and other
greenhouse gasses are also being considered for the satellite, although the plans are not yet finalized. The satellite weighs approximately 1650kg and is expected to have a life span of 5 years. GOSAT will be launched together with SDS-1.
Another project is the
Global Precipitation Measurement/Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (GPM/DPR) which is a joint development with NASA. This mission is the successor to the highly successful TRMM mission. JAXA will develop the radar and provide the launch vehicle. Other countries/agencies like China, India, ESA etc. will provide the subsatellites. The aim of this mission is to measure global rainfall. However because of NASA budget limitations this project was pushed back to 2010.
In the year 2009 JAXA plans to launch the first satellite of the
Quasi Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), a subsystem of the global positioning system (GPS). Two others are expected to follow later. If successful, one satellite will be in a zenith position over Japan full time. The QZSS mission is the last scheduled major independent mission for JAXA, as no major civilian projects were funded after that for now. The only exception is the IGS programme which will be continued beyond 2008. However it seems Japan is pressing forward now with the GCOM earth observation satellites as successors to the ADEOS missions. First launch is planned for 2010.
In 2009 Japan also plans to launch a new version of the IGS with an improved resolution of 60 cm.
Funded missions after 2008
★
GOSAT greenhouse gas observation, 2008
★
SDS-1, small demonstration satellite project, 2008
★
SmartSat-1, small communication test and sun corona observation, launch: 2009
★
Quasi Zenith Satellite System, 2009 or later
★
GCOM-W, Climate Observation satellite, launch: Feb, 2011
★
PLANET-C, probe to
Venus, launch: May, 2010
★
ASTRO-G (VSOP-2) successor to the Halca mission, launch: Feb, 2012 (late FY 2011)
★
GPM, successor to the
TRMM joint NASA mission, launch: 2010-2013
★
BepiColombo, joint ESA mission to
Mercury, launch: 2013
★
XEUS joint X-Ray telescope with
ESA, launch after 2015.
★
Sohla-1,Sohla-2 Small Demonstration Satellites
For the 2012
ESA EarthCare mission, JAXA will provide the radar system on the satellite. JAXA is also providing the
Light Particle Telescope(LPT) for the 2008
Jason 2 satellite by the French
CNES.
New orientation of JAXA
Developing a space science mission like ASTRO-E can take up to 7 years and longer. The problem is, for gaining knowledge in astronomy it is necessary to study cosmic "special events." However because of the long development period of bigger space science mission, there can be long bleak periods in observation, missing opportunities. To prevent this JAXA is planning to use more small scale missions starting from 2010, too. For launching these smaller missions JAXA is also planning to develop a new solid fueled rocket to replace the M-V.
Proposals for future missions
★
ALOS 2, earth observation
★
NeXT, a new X-ray astronomy mission
★
SPICA, a 3,5 meter infrared telescope to be placed at L2
★
Selene-2, a moon landing mission
★ A solar sail mission to Jupiter
★
JASMINE, infrared telescope for measuring the universe
★
DIOS, small scale x-ray observation
★
Hayabusa 2, for launch in 2010-2011 for target
1999JU3
★
Hayabusa Mark 2
Manned Space Program
Japan has not yet developed its own manned spacecraft. The first Japanese person to be sent into space was
cosmonaut Toyohiro Akiyama, a journalist sponsored by
TBS, who flew on the
Soviet Soyuz TM-11 in December
1990. He spent more than 7 days in space in the
Mir Space station, in what the Soviets called their first commercial spaceflight which allowed them to earn $14 million.
The first professional Japanese astronaut of the NASDA was
Mamoru Mohri in
1992 who flew his first space mission aboard the
STS-47 mission.
Under a new plan, JAXA has set a goal of constructing a manned
lunar base in
2030. Astronauts would be sent to the Moon by around
2020 so that they will start construction of the base to be completed by
2030.
[3]
Supersonic aircraft development
Besides the H-IIA and M-5 rockets, JAXA is also developing technology for a next-generation
supersonic transport that could become the commercial replacement for the
Concorde. The design goal of the project is to develop a jet that can carry 300 passengers at
Mach 2. A subscale model of the jet underwent aerodynamic testing in September and October of 2005 in
Australia.
[7] The economic success of such a project is still unclear, and as a consequence the project has been met with limited interest from Japanese aerospace companies like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries so far.
Research centers and offices
JAXA has research centers in many locations in Japan, and some offices overseas. Its headquarters are in
Chofu, Tokyo. It also has
★
Earth Observation Research Center (EORC),
Tokyo
★
Earth Observation Center (EOC) in
Hatayama
★
Noshiro Testing Center (NTC) - Established in 1962. It carries out development and testing of rocket engines.
★
Sanriku Balloon Center (SBC) - Balloons have been launched from this site since 1971.
★
Kakuda Space Propulsion Center (KSPC) - Leads the development of rocket engines. Works mainly with development of liquid fuel engines.
★
Sagamihara Campus (ISAS) - Development of experimental equipment for rockets and satellites. Also administrative buildings.
★
Tanegashima Space Center
★
Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC) in
Tsukuba. This is the center of Japan's space network. It is involved in research and development of satellites and rockets, and tracking and controlling of satellites. It develops experimental equipment for the Japanese Experiment Module ("Kibo"). Training of astronauts also takes place here.
★
Uchinoura Space Center
References
1. IV. æ±ºç®—å ±å‘Šæ›¸ (Balance Report)
2.
Consolidated Launch Manifest - Space Shuttle Flights and ISS Assembly Sequence
3. Japan Plans Moon Base By 2030
External links
★
JAXA
★
"JAXA 2025" Presentation
★
RAND Report on Japan's Space Program, 2005
★
CSIS Report on US-Japan Space Policy Cooperation, 2003
★
GOSAT satellite
These three links are archived sites of the JAXA predecessor agencies:
★
NASDA
★
ISAS
★
NAL
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