About JAXA

It was designated as a core performance agency to support the Japanese government's overall aerospace development and utilization. JAXA, therefore, can conduct integrated operations from basic research and development, to utilization. In 2013, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of its founding, JAXA created the corporate slogan, "Explore to Realize," which reflects its management philosophy of utilizing space and the sky to achieve a safe and affluent society. MAIN MOTIVES: Contributing to artificial satellites and explorers, Utilizing the space environment, R&D on the transportation system between the ground and space, Study of space science and planet exploration, Aviation technology research, Fundamental technology research, Industrial promotion.

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History Of JAXA

On 1 October 2003, three organizations were merged to form the new JAXA: Japan's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL), and National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). JAXA was formed as an Independent Administrative Institution administered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC). Before the merger, ISAS was responsible for space and planetary research, while NAL was focused on aviation research. NASDA, which was founded on 1 October 1969, had developed rockets, satellites, and also built the Japanese Experiment Module. 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 the Japanese astronauts who flew with the US Space Shuttles.

Rockets Of JAXA

Here are some of the famous rockets in the world made by JAXA

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“Opportunity does not waste time with those who are unprepared”


- Anonymous

  • 1

    M-V

    On February 11th, 1970, Japan’s first satellite, OHSUMI, was put into orbit by the L-4S launch vehicle. The L-4S was succeeded by the Mu model series, which evolved from the first model, M-4S, to M-3C, M-3H, M-3S, M-3SII into the latest model, M-V, which enjoys a reputation as one of the major launch vehicles. The Mu model series are solid propellant rockets. This series has shaped the history of the launch vehicle for scientific satellites in Japan and has played an indispensable part in the space probe program through its observation of supernovae, aurora, and Haley's Comet.

  • 2

    H-IIA

    H-IIA, Japan's primary large-scale launch vehicle, is designed to meet diverse launch demands, at lower cost and with a high degree of reliability, by making the best use of the H-II launch-vehicle technology. The simplified design and improved efficiency of the manufacturing and launch processes of H-IIA have achieved one of the highest performance to cost ratio of launch systems in the world, reducing the cost of launches by a half or more.

  • 3

    Elipson

    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 development aim is to reduce costs compared to the US$70 million launch cost of an M-V.

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Hayabusa mission

MAY 2003
On 9 May 2003, Hayabusaz, was launched from an M-V rocket. The goal of the mission was to collect samples from a small near-Earth asteroid named 25143 Itokawa. The craft rendezvoused with the asteroid in September 2005. It was confirmed that the spacecraft successfully landed on the asteroid in November 2005, after some initial confusion regarding the incoming data. Hayabusa returned to Earth with samples from the asteroid on 13 June 2010.

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LUNAR EXPLORATION

SEPTEMBER 2007
On 14 September 2007, JAXA succeeded in launching the lunar orbit explorer Kaguya, also known as SELENE (costing 55 billion yen including launch vehicle), the largest such mission since the Apollo programme, on an H-2A rocket. Its mission is to gather data on the Moon's origin and evolution. It entered lunar orbit on 4 October 2007. After 1 year and 8 months it impacted the lunar surface on 10 June 2009 at 18:25 UTC. JAXA plans to launch its first lunar surface mission, SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) on an Epsilon rocket planned in the year 2022.

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Hinode

SEPTEMBER 2006
Hinode was planned as a three-year mission to explore the magnetic fields of the Sun. It consists of a coordinated set of optical, extreme ultraviolet (EUV), and x-ray instruments to investigate the interaction between the Sun's magnetic field and its corona. The result will be an improved understanding of the mechanisms that power the solar atmosphere and drive solar eruptions. The EUV imaging spectrometer ( EIS ) was built by a consortium led by the Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) in the UK.