Japan
2012 – Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Employment
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) workforce has decreased steadily over the past decade, from more than ## employees in 2003 to ## in 2012, a decrease of more than ##%. Nearly ##% of JAXA’s workforce is made up of engineers and researchers, with the remainder categorized as administrative or educational personnel.
2012 – Japanese Space Industry Employment
Japan’s space workforce included ## workers in 2011, reaching the highest level in the past 10 years. The workforce in Japan grew by ##% from 2010 to 2011, adding ## workers. Japanese space employment has grown ##% in just three years, from its low point in 2008, and is currently ##% above the 10-year average.
2012 – Building Space Infrastructure and Achieving Mission Objectives Within Reduced Budgets
Today, nations are under pressure to replace aging satellite infrastructure while continuing to deploy new satellite systems and achieve the related mission objectives within the constraints of tighter budgets. The situation is particularly challenging in the United States, where all government agen… Thank you for visiting The Space Report! The Authoritative Guide to Global Space…
2012 – Space as a Tool of International Trade and Development
Space, Development, and International Trade in Africa Africa’s space sector typifies the dynamics at play in the intersection of space, trade, and development. The African continent is expanding the scale and scope of investments in its space sector. This expansion will include the development of a… Thank you for visiting The Space Report! The Authoritative…
2012 – QZSS
Japan is creating the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), consisting of ## or ## satellites in a quasi-zenith orbit, and ## satellites in GEO to be operated by JAXA. This network will supplement its signals with those of the GPS network and, by using a tailored GEO orbit, will provide improved positioning performance in urban and mountainous regions. These GEO satellites will not be fixed over the Equator like typical FSS satellites but will regularly move north and south in relation to the Equator, making them easier to be seen from those areas where line-of-sight visibility to GPS can be difficult.
2012 – IRNSS
The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) will include ## satellites providing coverage primarily for South Asia. Like the Japanese system, ## of the ## will be in non-equatorial GEO, while ## will be in traditional GEO. The first satellite is scheduled to be launched in early 2013. India also has a GPS augmentation system called GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN, which is Hindi for “sky”), designed to improve air navigation in India. In September 2012, the second of three GAGAN payloads was put in orbit aboard the GSAT-10 satellite.
2012 – ISS
The ISS is the largest spacecraft currently in orbit, measuring 109 meters (358 feet) long, with a mass of almost 419,500 kilograms (925,000 pounds). The station was developed and is operated by an international partnership of NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
2012 – Japan Launch, Payload
Japan successfully conducted ## orbital launches in 2012. There are seven total HTV missions planned, launching roughly every year until 2016, after which the future of the HTV has yet to be decided.
2012 – Other Countries, Launch, Human
Although Japan and India have both expressed interest in developing human spaceflight capabilities, neither has yet demonstrated strong commitment toward that goal. Japan is in early stage feasibility studies for its own crewed spacecraft, which would not be expected to fly before 2022. India identifies development of a human spaceflight program as an objective within its Five-Year Plan. However, specific details are sparse; India just states that it will focus on development of the technologies and systems necessary to support a human spaceflight program at some point.