We have always looked up at the stars and imagined new worlds. We were born with that space bug in us, that exploration dream. Mankind is a creature that loves to explore, loves to dissect every piece of knowledge to better understand the world around us. When the space age began, it was not just the United States, Russia and China that pioneered the research and experimentation to understand space better, Japan is also part of that.
For Japan it started in April 1955 when the Institute of Industrial Science of the University of Tokyo conducted an experiment to launch a 23 cm long Pencil Rocket, their tiny first step to be part of the vast journey into space research. It not only mark their space research’s humble beginnings but also the origin of the present Institute of Space and Astronautical Science.
Japan participated in the IGY (International Geophysical Year) activities from 1957 to 1958. It ended in success, they carried out observations of the upper atmosphere, cosmic rays and other such crucial experiments. All these observations were made possible thanks to the development of the K-6 type rockets, rockets able to reach as high as 69 km in altitude, using a solid propellant. In 1962, Kagoshima Space Center was established, opened as a full-scale launch site thanks to the efforts in space rocket research.
Slowly, but securely the path of space research grew, and thanks to successful launches of the L-4S rocket, the M-4S rocket completed its virgin flight in February 1972. That same September Japan’s first scientific satellite SHINSEI was launched and carried out observations of solar radio emissions, cosmic rays as well as the ionosphere. It marked the beginning of the era of scientific satellites in Japan. More examples in of successful satellites in the decades that follow are: the X-ray astronomy satellite, GINGA; the scientific satellite, AKEBONO, for the observation of northern lights; HITEN, to conduct lunar swingbys; YOHKOH, for solar observation; and the X-ray astronomy satellite, ASCA.
Japan has made its mark in the exploration and understanding space and who knows maybe one day when we visit another planet in our solar system it will be a Japanese astronaut taking his first step on that brave new world.