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Tanegashima Space Center

Coordinates: 30°24′00″N 130°58′12″E / 30.40000°N 130.97000°E / 30.40000; 130.97000
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Tanegashima Space Center
種子島宇宙センター
Tanegashima Uchū Sentā

Osaki range with the Yoshinobu Launch Complex in the distance
Agency overview
Formed1969 (1969)
HeadquartersTanegashima, Japan
30°24′00″N 130°58′12″E / 30.40000°N 130.97000°E / 30.40000; 130.97000
Parent agencyJAXA
Websiteglobal.jaxa.jp/about/centers/tnsc

The Tanegashima Space Center[a] (TNSC) is Japan's primary spaceport, covering approximately about 9.7 million square metres (2,400 acres; 970 ha).[1] It is located on the southeastern tip of Tanegashima, the easternmost of the Ōsumi Islands, approximately 40 kilometers (25 mi) south of the major island of Kyushu.

The site was selected on May 24, 1966, and construction began later that year on September 17. Exactly two years later, on September 17, 1968, it hosted its first launch, a small rocket. The facility officially opened on October 1, 1969, coinciding with the establishment of its initial operator, the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA).

Now operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) since its formation in 2003, TNSC is responsible for satellite assembly, as well as launch vehicle testing, launching, and tracking.

Facilities

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On-site main facilities include:[2]

Those facilities are used for performing operations from assembling launch vehicles, maintenance, inspections, final checks of satellites, loading satellites onto launch vehicles, rocket launches, and tracking launch vehicles after liftoff. The TNSC plays a pivotal role in satellite launches among Japan's space development activities.

Orbital launches take place from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex, lifting off from its two launch pads:

The H-IIA first stage engine, the LE-7A, is test-fired at the Yoshinobu Firing Test Stand. Auxiliary buildings are in place for the assembly of new spacecraft and for radar and optical tracking of launched spacecraft.

The older Osaki Launch Complex was retired in 1992. It was used for the launch and development of N-I, N-II, H-I and J-I rockets.

The Space Science and Technology Museum is near TNSC. It offers a view of rocket history and technology in Japan.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Japanese: 種子島宇宙センター, Hepburn: Tanegashima Uchū Sentā

References

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  1. ^ "Overview of the Tanegashima Space Center" (PDF). JAXA. December 2005. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  2. ^ "JAXA – Tanegashima Space Center". JAXA. 23 September 2018. Archived from the original on 23 February 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
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