In the face of rising tensions with an increasingly aggressive China, which wants to become a space power; space cooperation is a critical collaboration area for Japan and its closest friend, the United States.
As part of NASA’s Artemis mission to return people to the moon, Tokyo has stated that it intends to place one of its astronauts on the lunar surface. Japan has a large space program that focuses on developing rockets and space probes. However, it lacks a human flight program and relies on the US and Russia to transport its personnel into space. Japanese astronauts have visited the International Space Station more than Americans and Russians. Biden’s visit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should include a discussion of space collaboration. As part of his first Asian tour since assuming office, Biden is visiting Tokyo this week.
Space Competition
The United States welcomes Japan’s space aspirations as it strives to keep ahead of China in a potential new space competition. Beijing intends to finish its first space station by the end of the year. Last year, Japan’s space agency, JAXA, reopened astronaut recruitment for the first time in more than a decade to replenish its dwindling pool of astronauts. Japan will assist the European Space Agency (ESA) in constructing the primary dwelling module for the US-led Gateway orbiting lunar colony; they will be it for moon landings. Japan also developed the Kibo experiment module for the International Orbit Station. Its heavy launch rockets have sent resupply flights into space.
Japan’s aerospace sector was devastated after WWII; however, the country’s space industry has thrived because of companies like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Electric (OTC: MIELY). MHI rockets launched from the Tanegashima Space Centre on Kyushu’s southwestern island have carried payloads such as the Michibiki satellites; which have enhanced the US global positioning system in Asia. Engine issues forced MHI and JAXA to postpone the launch of their new H3 rocket earlier this year. The rise of the commercial space industry in the United States, led by businesses like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has altered the launch services market.
