Out into space

The 1966 launch of the “Ohsumi” was the first of Japan’s many successes in satellite deployment.
In 1977, for example, a geostationary satellite was launched.
The H-IIA liquid fuel rocket in 2001, and the H-IIB rocket in 2009, propelled Japan into the international market. The H-IIB in particular was used to carry the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV),
an unmanned spacecraft which performed a crucial resupply mission for the International Space Station.
And in 2010, the “Hayabusa” probe returned from its seven-year mission, bringing back samples of asteroid matter. This globally significant achievement is part of the steady development of spacecraft technology laid out in Japan’s Basic Space Bill*.
* The Basic Space Bill : A bill passed in 2008 to restructure Japan’s space program and expand its projects into non-aggressive military applications.

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