Investigating Japan's contributions to the space program
Investigating Japan's Contributions to the Space Program The success of the Japanese space program has been nothing short of incredible. Japan's space agency, JAXA, has achieved a remarkable number of "firsts" in space exploration, including the first successful launch to Venus, the first spacecraft to measure the atmosphere of a comet, and the first sample return mission from the asteroid Itokawa. In addition, JAXA has made significant contributions to international space exploration, as evidenced by its involvement in the construction and management of the International Space Station. But what, exactly, have been Japan's contributions to the global space program? To answer this question, one must first trace the history of Japan's space program. Japan's first manned spaceflight was in 1990, when the agency launched the Space Flyer Unit (SFU) — a space shuttle-type craft. Although the project was declared a success at the time, it was limited in its tech...