Latest news with #H3
Yomiuri Shimbun
5 days ago
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japanese Businesses Expanding Space-Related Operations; Government Making Plans to Increase Public Support
An increasing number of companies in Japan are making efforts to strengthen their operations related to outer space. This striking trend includes automakers, banks and other businesses with no prior connections to space. Startups are also joining the field one after another. However, competition is increasingly fierce, and for now the United States and China are the frontrunners. Japanese companies in the field will not flourish without cooperation between the public and private sectors. New possibilities In June, Honda Motor Co. became the first private company in Japan to successfully launch and land a reusable small rocket. To do this, the company used technology it had cultivated for projects such as developing self-driving vehicles. Honda R&D Co., a subsidiary of the automaker, was in charge of research and development of the reusable rocket. In an address given in Tokyo on July 8, Honda R&D President Keiji Otsu said emphatically, 'Space is a place of new possibilities.' Major companies in such fields as telecommunications and financial services are enhancing their space-related operations, and a growing number of startups are entering the field. According to research by the Spacetide Foundation, a general incorporated entity for promotion of space development, the number of startups in the space development field in 2025 was 109, an increase of about 40% from three years ago. ¥260 trillion market With space being used more and more in fields such as national security and telecommunications, related industries are expected to grow rapidly. The global market size for space businesses is predicted to exceed ¥260 trillion in 2035, about triple what it was in 2023. According to the Cabinet Office, the number of rocket launches conducted by the United States in 2024 was 153, while China had 66, putting those two countries at the head of the pack for use of space-related technology. Japan conducted only five launches last year. Many of the American rocket launches were for commercial purposes, as more than half were made by Elon Musk's company SpaceX, which uses reusable rockets to minimize costs. Cost and speed vital One issue that Japanese companies face is the high cost of conducting rocket launches. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. aims to bring the cost of launching a rocket down to about ¥5 billion — half what it has been up to now — with its new primary rocket model, the H3, which it developed in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The government's Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform, approved by the Cabinet in June, stipulates that the nation's space development policies should be enhanced. It sets a goal of boosting the size of the domestic market to ¥8 trillion in the first half of the 2030s, double what it was in 2020. A senior official of an economy-related government entity pointed out that victory in space development goes to whoever is fastest. Thus whether Japan wins or loses in this field will come down to the speed at which projects can be commercialized. Spacetide's Representative Director Masayasu Ishida said, 'Many countries all over the world, not just the major ones, are trying to cultivate space-related industries. It is essential also for Japan to stimulate demand and acquire human resources, technologies and investment.'
The Star
13-07-2025
- Science
- The Star
Mainstay rocket's last Earth watch
Final ascent: The H-2A rocket, carrying a GOSAT-GW satellite, lifting off from a launch pad in Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. - AP THE nation successfully launched a climate change monitoring satellite on its mainstay H-2A rocket, which made its final flight before it is replaced by a new flagship model designed to be more cost competitive in the global space market. The H-2A rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, carrying the GOSAT-GW satellite as part of Tokyo's effort to mitigate climate change. The satellite was safely separated from the rocket and released into a planned orbit about 16 minutes later. Scientists and space officials at the control room exchanged hugs and handshakes to celebrate the successful launch, which was delayed by several days due to a malfunctioning of the rocket's electrical systems. Keiji Suzuki, a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries official in charge of rocket launch operations, said he was more nervous than ever for the final mission of the rocket, which has been his career work. 'I've spent my entire life at work not to drop H-2A rocket ... All I can say is I'm so relieved,' he said. Yesterday's launch marked the 50th and final flight for the H-2A, which has served as Japan's mainstay rocket to carry satellites and probes into space with a near-perfect record since its 2001 debut. After its retirement, it will be fully replaced by the H3, which is already in operation, as Japan's new main flagship. 'It is a deeply emotional moment for all of us at JAXA as a developer,' Hiroshi Yamakawa, president of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, told a news conference. The Global Observing SATellite for Greenhouse gases and Water (GOSAT-GW) cycle, is a third series in the mission to monitor carbon, methane and other greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Within one year, it will start distributing data such as sea surface temperature and precipitation with much higher resolution to users around the world, including the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, officials said. The liquid-fuel H-2A rocket with two solid-fuel sub-rockets developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has had 49 flights with a 98% success record, with only one failure in 2003. Mitsubishi Heavy has provided its launch operation since 2007. H-2A successfully carried into space many satellites and probes, including Japan's moon lander SLIM last year, and a popular Hayabusa2 spacecraft in 2014 to reach a distant asteroid, contributing to the country's space programmes. — AP
NZ Herald
01-07-2025
- Science
- NZ Herald
H2A rocket retires; Japan's space industry eyes H3 for market success
The H2A rocket, which was retired on Sunday after the model's 50th launch, delivered many satellites vital for scientific research and Japan's social infrastructure into space. However, it failed to win enough orders for commercial launches, a problem that has been passed on to its successor, the H3. 'Over
Yomiuri Shimbun
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
H2A Rocket: Pass Advanced Technology on to Next Generation
Japan's mainstay large H2A rocket was successfully launched for the model's final flight, concluding its operations. The rocket, which was highly reliable, made a significant achievement as it played an important role that will go down in history as part of Japan's space development. The H2A was jointly developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. The first rocket was launched in 2001, and the 50th rocket was used in the latest launch. During this time, the only failure was the sixth launch in 2003, giving the H2A a success rate of 98%. It can be said that this figure is one of the highest for rocket launches. There were only a few major delays in launches, which was another selling point of the H2A, since it was easy for the companies that asked for launches to work out their schedules. Throughout a quarter of a century in operation, the H2A has carried many satellites into space, including the Hayabusa2 probe, which brought back sand samples collected from the surface of an asteroid; the SLIM lander, which was Japan's first successful lunar lander; and government information-gathering satellites. Launching satellites is related to national security. It is becoming increasingly important for Japan to maintain its own rockets for launching satellites, rather than relying on other countries to launch them. It is significant that Japan has maintained its own launch capability with the H2A. On the other hand, the H2A cost about ¥10 billion per launch. Due to its inability to compete on the global market, there have been few contracts with overseas firms. In recent years, the global market for space development has been changing drastically. More companies in the private sector are entering the space business, and there is a growing need to win orders for satellite launches at low prices. The U.S. company SpaceX, which has cratered prices in the rocket launch market, has set the trend. The company's success in developing reusable rockets has led to launches at lower costs and at shorter intervals. The role of the H2A will be taken over by the H3 rocket, which was successfully launched last year. With the H3, the aim is to keep the cost of launches down to ¥5 billion through various measures, including using automobile parts. The frequency of launches will also increase from the H2A's average of about twice a year. Through these improvements, it is hoped that a system will be put in place to receive orders from customers worldwide. It is also essential to map out a strategy that looks beyond the H3. The development of a new engine for the H3 faced difficulties. This is probably because the technology has not been sufficiently passed down to the next generation as a result of the lack of opportunities to develop rockets since the H2A was designed. The development of a successor rocket to the H3 should begin as soon as possible in order to ensure that the technology is passed on to the next generation. Startup companies overseas are pursuing bold development without the fear of failure. Japan, too, must foster a mindset that allows for a certain degree of failure and seeks to increase the speed of development. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 1, 2025)
Yomiuri Shimbun
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
More Commercial Launches a Must for H2a Rocket's Successor; Mitsubishi Heavy, JAXA Aim to Halve Launch Cost with H3
The H2A rocket, which was retired on Sunday after the model's 50th launch, delivered many satellites vital for scientific research and Japan's social infrastructure into space. However, it failed to win enough orders for commercial launches, a problem that has been passed on to its successor, the H3. 'Over the past 24 years, [the H2A] has made a significant contribution to the autonomy of Japan's space activities through a steady stream of launches,' said Hiroshi Yamakawa, president of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), at a press conference at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. The H2A launched more than 70 satellites and other objects into space, serving as the backbone of Japan's space transportation. However, there was an average of only two launches a year, and most depended on 'public demand' for government satellites. There were only orders for commercial launches for five satellites belonging to foreign countries, such as South Korea and the United Kingdom. The launch fee was expensive, reaching as high as ¥10 billion. For Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., which took over the manufacture and operation of the H2A from JAXA in 2007, winning commercial orders has been a longstanding issue. The H3 was jointly developed by MHI and JAXA with the aim of halving the launch fee. 'We would like to receive as many orders for launches from overseas and domestic companies as government missions,' said Iwao Igarashi, senior general manager of the company's Space Systems Division. Demand for launches is rising as the space business expands. According to the Cabinet Office, 253 rockets were successfully launched worldwide in 2024, 2.75 times more than 10 years ago. Japan launched a total of five H2A and H3 rockets that year, compared to 153 in the United States and 66 in China. In particular, the U.S. company SpaceX, which has developed a rocket where the first stage can be reused, dominates the market with about 130 launches a year. 'If we cannot win the competition in the market, we will not be able to maintain the [domestic] industry, and there will be no companies or personnel to manufacture rockets. Our current technology will one day become obsolete, so it is essential to develop a rocket to succeed the H3,' said Hiroaki Akiyama, professor of space policy at Wakayama University.
