Tanegashima Space Center

The Tanegashima Space Center (Japanese種子島宇宙センター, Tanegashima Uchū Senta, often abbreviated as TNSC ) is a Japanese spaceport in Minamitane on the island of Tanegashima. With an area of 9.7 square kilometers, the TNSC is the largest space center in Japan.

Here especially the weather, communications, Earth observation and broadcasting satellites will be launched.

History

The launch site was built in founding the National Space Development Agency of Japan ( NASDA short ) 1969. Since the merger of the NASDA with the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science ( ISAS ) and the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan ( NAL) to the new Japanese space agency Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ( JAXA ), the TNSC is owned by JAXA. Since 1975, orbital missions are launched from the TNSC.

Missile launch sites and use

The space station can be divided into two areas, the northerly Osaki Range and the south to Takesaki Range.

The Osaki range includes two places, which is the Yoshinobu Launch Complex (abbreviated Launch Area Y, -Y LA ) one of them. It was built in 1993 for the H - II program and initially consisted only of the Launch Pad 1 In 2000, another launch pad was built, who previously but never was used. From the LA -Y of H -II, H-IIA and H -IIB rockets are launched. The first launch took place on 3 February 1994. The second launch site of Osaki Range is the Osaki Launch Complex (abbreviated N Launch Area, LA -N). The LA -N was used by missiles JI, NI and N -II. The first start of the LA -N was held on 9 September 1975.

The southern Takesaki Range consists among other things of the Launch Area Q and the Launch Complex Takesaki (abbreviated Launch Area T, LA -T). From the LA -Q only two missiles have been launched from the type Mu, the first on September 2, 1974, the second on February 5, 1975. The LA- T is used to start of lambda, MT -135, S and TR-1 utilized. From here, rockets are launched since 1967.

Rest of site

To assemble the H- II rocket, the TNSC has a Vehicle Assembly Building ( VAB short ), similar to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center. It is 81 meters high and the tallest building on TNSC. After a conversion now fit two H- IIA rocket for mounting at the same time in the VAB. The duration of the assembly of a H- II is three months that the H-IIA one month.

The control center for the flight of the H- II of the TNSC is for safety 10 meters underground and 500 meters from the launch site of the missile.