Japan
2008 – Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) Space Activities – Snapshot
GEO satellites provide coverage of a wide area from a relatively fixed position, making them ideal for broadcast applications to multiple downlink sites, as well as for networking services to widely dispersed corporate and government facilities. Video distribution, point-to-point video feeds, also known as “backhauls,” and Direct-To-Home (DTH) television services represented three-quarters of total satellite services revenues in 2007.
2008 – Degrees Awarded – Snapshot
The National Science Foundation tracks “first university degrees,” equivalent to a four-year undergraduate degree in the United States, for six countries: the ##, ##, ##, ##, ##, and the ##. In 2004, the most recent year for which data is available for all six countries, the ## was the leading country in issuing first university degrees in all fields, topping ## million, with ## in second place at ## million.
2008 – Japanese Government Space Budget – Snapshot
The 2008 Japanese space budget was about US$## billion, approximately ##% of the country’s ¥## trillion (US$## billion) national budget. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) received US$2.08 billion. These funds are allocated to scientific and exploration missions including Planet C, a Venus exploration probe; GPM/DPR, a global precipitation measurement satellite; BepiColombo, a joint European-Japan Mercury mission; GCOM, a climate monitoring mission; and the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System for space-based communications and navigation. In addition, Japan continues development of the H-IIB vehicle, an enhanced version of its current H-IIA vehicle. The H-IIB booster will carry the H-II Transfer Vehicle, a cargo supply module, to the ISS.
2008 – Government Space Budgets – Snapshot
Throughout the world, large-scale space programs, particularly those tied to national scientific or defense programs, are heavily supported by government budgets. Government spending accounted for ##% of global space activity in 2008. The United States accounted for ##% of this global government spending. Space budgets for other governments rose nearly ##% in U.S. dollars, though actual growth was closer to ##% when adjusted for currency fluctuations.
2008 – Commercial Space and Entrepreneurial Advancement
Commercial space programs, like their government counterparts, continue to evolve around the world. As detailed in Space Products and Services, the more established programs in satellite communications and remote sensing are being joined by entrepreneurial space activities that provide excitement an… Thank you for visiting The Space Report! The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity,…
2008 – Demand Drivers and Growth Areas – Snapshot
The primary industries using space-based products and services involve Earth-orbiting satellites used for communication; remote sensing and Earth observation; and position, navigation, and timing. An emerging sector of inspace products and services now includes personal spaceflight and private space research. Companies in this sector also support defense and civil government in-space programs.
2007 – QZSS
The first launch of Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) is scheduled for 2009. QZSS uses ## geosynchronous satellites in orbital planes designed to have observed elevations of 60 to 70 degrees over Japan. These observed elevations will avoid interference from urban canyons or mountains.
2007 – ISS
The largest in-space platform ever constructed is the International Space Station (ISS). The development of the ISS, led by the United States, “draws upon the scientific and technological resources of 16 nations: the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, 11 nations of the European Space Agency, and Brazil,” according to NASA.[
2007 – Japan Launch, Payload
Japan plans to replace the former M-V launch vehicle, which was active as recently as 2006, with an advanced solid rocket.
2007 – Space Stations
Funding for the largest in-space platform, the International Space Station (ISS), is included under the government budgets of ISS partners. NASA, the largest contributor to the ISS, budgeted $## billion for the ISS in 2007, but actual expenditures were not available due to delays in the congressional budget process.[