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Yomiuri Shimbun file photo An H3 rocket blasts off from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on Nov. 4.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
16:45 JST, December 22, 2024
In an effort to boost the country’s space business, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry will expand facilities and equipment at the launching site of the country’s new mainstay H3 rocket in Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture.
The ministry plans to increase the number of satellite assembly buildings and fuel storage tanks to make it possible to launch a rocket every other month. It hopes to raise the annual number of rocket launches to at least seven, for the purpose of receiving more orders for satellite launches.
Demand for rocket launches is rapidly growing due to the expanding space business that makes use of satellites. In 2023, there were 212 successful rocket launches globally, marking a 2.8-fold increase from 2013.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency sets six as the target number of annual launches of the H3 rocket, one of Japan’s mainstay rockets. The agency hopes to increase the figure by seizing commercial opportunities.
However, the launching site has some limitations in terms of its facilities. The site has two assembly buildings for mounting satellites onto the H3 rocket. But this procedure usually takes 1½ months to three months to complete, so it is effectively impossible to launch a rocket every other month.
In addition, the storage tanks for liquid oxygen have the capacity of storing fuel for only a single launch.
To address the problems, the ministry plans to make budgetary requests totaling ¥1.9 billion for the fiscal 2024 supplementary budget and the fiscal 2025 budget to expand and upgrade facilities at the launching site.
Specifically, it plans to repair the assembly building for the H2A rocket, which is set to be retired, to make it possible to carry out preparations for the H3 rocket in three buildings at the same time. Officials also plan to increase the number of liquid oxygen storage tanks from three to four.
In addition, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. will enhance equipment for inspecting parts in order to boost the production capacity at the plant where H3 rockets are produced.
Officials hope to complete these measures by the first half of fiscal 2027 so that it will become possible to launch at least seven H3 rockets every year starting from fiscal 2028.
This year, U.S.-based space company SpaceX, which is the industry leader, has carried out successful launches more than 100 times. Japan, however, successfully launched only five rockets, with H3 and H2A combined.
“It’s necessary to promptly strengthen the launching site’s functions to capture as much overseas demand as possible,” said a science ministry official.
