![H2A11001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/H2A11001.jpg)
The (TNSC) is the largest rocket-launch complex in Japan with a total area of about 9.7 square kilometers. It is located on the southeast coast of
Tanegashima
is one of the Ōsumi Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, 444.99 km2 in area, is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands, and has a population of 33,000 people. Access to the island is by ferry, or by air to Ne ...
, an island approximately south of
Kyushu
is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...
. It was established in 1969 when the
National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) was formed, and is now run by
JAXA
The is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into orb ...
.
The activities that take place at TNSC include assembly, testing, launching, and tracking satellites, as well as rocket engine firing tests.
Facilities
On-site main facilities include:
*
Yoshinobu Launch Complex
Yoshinobu Launch Complex (LC-Y) is a rocket launch site at the Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima. The site and its collection of facilities were originally built for the H-II launch vehicle and later used for H-IIA and H-IIB launches.
I ...
is a launch site for launch vehicles like the
H-IIA
H-IIA (H-2A) is an active expendable launch system operated by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. These liquid fuel rockets have been used to launch satellites into geostationary orbit; lunar o ...
* Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB)
* Second Spacecraft Test and Assembly Building
* Takesaki Range Control Center
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 of the
H-IIA
H-IIA (H-2A) is an active expendable launch system operated by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. These liquid fuel rockets have been used to launch satellites into geostationary orbit; lunar o ...
rockets take place from the
Yoshinobu Launch Complex
Yoshinobu Launch Complex (LC-Y) is a rocket launch site at the Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima. The site and its collection of facilities were originally built for the H-II launch vehicle and later used for H-IIA and H-IIB launches.
I ...
, lifting off from one of its two launch pads. The
H-IIA
H-IIA (H-2A) is an active expendable launch system operated by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. These liquid fuel rockets have been used to launch satellites into geostationary orbit; lunar o ...
first stage engine, the
LE-7A
The LE-7 and its succeeding upgrade model the LE-7A are staged combustion cycle LH/ LOX liquid rocket engines produced in Japan for the H-II series of launch vehicles. Design and production work was all done domestically in Japan, the first m ...
, 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
The N-I was the former main road from Madrid to France in Spain.
Most of the route has now been replaced by the Autovía A-1 and Autopista AP-1. The A-1 starts at Madrid then goes to Burgos. N-I then runs parallel to AP-1 (toll highway) to Mira ...
,
N-II
N-II was the former name for the Route Nacional from Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million ...
, and
H-I space rockets.
The Space Science and Technology Museum is near TNSC. It offers an intricate view of rocket history and technology in Japan. Though most of the displays are in Japanese, there are English tour pamphlets available.
File:Global_Precipitation_Measurement_(GPM)_Mission_(12812960063).jpg, The full view of the Yoshinobu Launch Complex during the rollout of the H-IIA rocket in February 2014.
File:宇宙科学技術館.jpg, The Space Science and Technology Museum.
File:Tanegashima location.jpg, Tanegashima is the easternmost of the Ōsumi Islands
The is an archipelago in the Nansei Islands, and are the northernmost group of the Satsunan Islands, which is in turn part of the Ryukyu Archipelago. The chain extends from the southern tip of Kyushu to Yakushima. Administratively, the group bel ...
, just south of the major island of Kyushu
is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...
.
In fiction
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
''Robotics;Notes'' is a visual novel video game developed by 5pb. It is the third main game in the ''Science Adventure'' series, following ''Chaos;Head'' and '' Steins;Gate'', and is described by the developers as an "Augmented Science Adventure" ...
'' 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
is a Japanese anime television series produced by Bones, directed by Takuya Igarashi and written by Yōji Enokido. It was broadcast for twenty-five episodes in Japan on MBS from April to September 2014. The series follows high-school stude ...
'', Tanegashima Space Center is now controlled by Globe and serves as one of their bases.
In the Japanese animated television series ''
Aldnoah.Zero
, stylized as ΛLDNOΛH.ZERO, is a television and print series created by Olympus Knights and A-1 Pictures. It presents the fictional story of the Vers Empire's 37 clans of Orbital Knights' attempted reconquest of Earth—enabled by the empo ...
'',
Tanegashima
is one of the Ōsumi Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, 444.99 km2 in area, is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands, and has a population of 33,000 people. Access to the island is by ferry, or by air to Ne ...
is the crash landing site of some Martian technology.
The video games ''
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
and are 2002 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. They are the first installments in the third generation of the ''Pokémon'' video game series, also kn ...
'', 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
is one of the Ōsumi Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, 444.99 km2 in area, is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands, and has a population of 33,000 people. Access to the island is by ferry, or by air to Ne ...
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
External links
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Introduction*
{{Authority control
Spaceports
Space program of Japan
Buildings and structures in Kagoshima Prefecture