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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
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
Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap

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The Tanegashima Space Center (種子島宇宙センター, Tanegashima Uchū Sentā) (TNSC) is the largest rocket-launch complex in Japan with a total area of about 9,700,000 square metres (2,400 acres; 970 ha).[1] It is located on the southeastern tip of Tanegashima, an island approximately 40 kilometers (25 mi) south of Kyushu, an island and region in Japan. Construction on the site started in 1966.[1] It was established in 1969 when the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) was formed, and is now run by JAXA. The activities that take place at TNSC include assembly, testing, launching, and tracking satellites, as well as rocket engine firing tests.

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 an intricate view of rocket history and technology in Japan.

  • Tanegashima is the easternmost of the Ōsumi Islands, just south of the major island of Kyushu.
    Tanegashima is the easternmost of the Ōsumi Islands, just south of the major island of Kyushu.
  • Yoshinobu LP-1
    Yoshinobu LP-1
  • The launch of H-IIA Flight 11 (ETS-VIII) from LP-1, 2006
    The launch of H-IIA Flight 11 (ETS-VIII) from LP-1, 2006
  • H-IIA Flight 13 (Kaguya) launching KAGUYA from LP-1, 2007
    H-IIA Flight 13 (Kaguya) launching KAGUYA from LP-1, 2007
  • H-IIA Flight 23 (GPM) rollout to LP-1, 2014
    H-IIA Flight 23 (GPM) rollout to LP-1, 2014
  • H-IIA Flight 23 (GPM) at LP-1, 2014
    H-IIA Flight 23 (GPM) at LP-1, 2014
  • H-IIA rocket at the VAB
    H-IIA rocket at the VAB
  • Yoshinobu LP-2
    Yoshinobu LP-2
  • HI-IIB Flight 8 (HTV-8) at LP-2, 2019
    HI-IIB Flight 8 (HTV-8) at LP-2, 2019
  • The Space Science and Technology Museum
    The Space Science and Technology Museum

In fiction

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In Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest, in the Asian Campaign, the Tanegashima Space Center is an important location, pivotal in the story to the United Federation of Asian Republics reaching Mars before the Americans or Europeans. The spaceport was completely destroyed in a nuclear bombing raid by Novaya Russia but was rebuilt by the UFAR at the request of their ally, Japan.

Episode 2 of the Japanese animated film 5 Centimeters per Second features a rocket launch from Tanegashima Space Center.

In the Robotics;Notes visual novel, Tanegashima Space Center is one of the major settings found in the game. It is also featured in the anime.

In Captain Earth, Tanegashima Space Center is now controlled by Globe and serves as one of their bases.

In the Japanese animated television series Aldnoah.Zero, Tanegashima is the crash landing site of some Martian technology.

The video games Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, along with their remakes, feature the Mossdeep Space Center, which is modeled on the Tanegashima Space Center.

In season 2, episode 19 of the Japanese animated television series Assassination Classroom, the students of class 3-E of Kunugigaoka Junior High School infiltrate a space center that is based on Tanegashima Space Center.

In the Japanese animated series Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars, Tanegashima figures very prominently in the later episodes.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "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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