Japan to launch multi-satellite mission

TOKYO -- Japan got its first commercial order to launch a satellite on a homegrown rocket on Monday, a deal that Japanese officials hope will grow into a business that could support the country's cash-strapped space program.

The agreement — which targets a liftoff date after April 2011 — comes less than two weeks before Japan plans to launch eight satellites into space to show that its H2A rocket can compete with rivals in Russia, the United States and Asia's new space powerhouse, China.

Japan's space program has long been focused entirely on lifting government-sponsored, unmanned payloads — mainly scientific, telecommunications and spy satellites, which it first launched 10 years ago — off the launch pad.

But officials are hoping that commercial use would help fund Japan's long-term space development, which Tokyo believes is an essential part of national security.

The primary mission of the Jan. 21 launch from remote Tanegashima island, where Japan's main space station is based, is to send into orbit a greenhouse-gas monitoring satellite called "Ibuki," which means "breath." But along with the main payload, the rocket will carry seven "baby satellites" — one developed by JAXA, the government space agency, and six created by university research centers and private industry.

JAXA decided to open the payload up to the private sector because it had extra launching power and wanted to display its capabilities for commercial use.

"If we can successfully launch the seven mini satellites, this could be an excellent precedent for commercial use in the future," said Asaka Hagiwara, spokeswoman for JAXA, whose official name is Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

In a promising sign, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., which makes the H2A rocket, signed an agreement Monday with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute to launch its multipurpose Arirang 3 satellite. It was the first commercial order for use of a Japanese-made rocket. The price was not disclosed.