Space, Surveillance and Security

Focus on Japan’s Commercial Space Industry

A new space race is creating opportunities for new commercial, scientific, and military ventures in Japan and worldwide.

Security issues have propelled steady advances in science and technology under government sponsorship. Currently 72 nations have space missions, 14 have the ability to launch an object into space. Only 6 of these countries, including Japan, are capable of launching and recovering people or satellites into and from space, build and operate spacecraft.

Private companies have successfully launched missions from Europe, the US and Japan with backing from their national sponsors – European Space Agency (ESA), National Aerospace and Aeronautical Agency (NASA), and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). China boasts 100 new space companies but the extent of their private ownership is not known. India recently authorized private launch companies.

Japan’s first space ventures began with surveillance satellites in response to the 1998 North Korean missile test over Japan. Legacy companies such as MHI and IHI designed and built the required equipment in close cooperation with the government and partner nations. This year the Space Operations Squadron was created under the Japan Air Self-Defense Force which will be fully operational by 2023. Its primary mission is threat assessment, monitoring space debris, and communications with surface forces.

An increasingly unstable security environment is inspiring a new generation of space start-ups. High tech sensors and materials and manufacturing techniques are fueling innovation and employment. Incentives to provide more services in space at a faster rate and lower costs are driving unprecedented growth for commercial space.

This forum is the beginning of a series of discussions on how the space industry, both old and new, contributes to economic development and national defense.

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