Japanese Rocket Launches Its First Commercial Satellite (upi.com)

schwit1 writes: Using its H-IIA rocket, upgraded to lower cost, Japan launched its first commercial payload today, putting Canada's Telestar 12V into geosynchronous orbit. UPI reports: "Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency said the H-IIA rocket was upgraded for the launch, permitting the satellite to stay closer to its geostationary orbit. Tokyo's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said he hoped the launch would exhibit the quality of Japan's rocket engineering, and that the successful launch would result in more orders from other global corporations. Following the launch, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries vice president Naohiko Abe said the firm plans to actively promote the H-IIA for satellite launches."

Comments

Re:Very surprised...

[AHuxley]

Lots of US trade issues held back Japan. The US did not want other nations offering cheaper or better platforms so a few political and treaty obligations now face a lot of nations wanting to sell or expand on their own industrial base into the space market.
Missile Technology Control Regime https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
"Japan's space development" and USA trade policy, "Section 301" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
India just went its own way and made sure it could design, build and launch any system it wanted, making sure domestic design and production was well looked after.
Another trick is to get Japan to enter a "consortium" deal to spread costs and then keep Japan buying into a shared, imported system. Japan is kept away from investing in its own specialized tooling, has to pay for development and then the import costs of a final system to pay for.