Columbia Disaster Not to Affect Japan's Space Industry Policy

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, February 04, 2003

Columbia Disaster Not to Affect Japan's Space Industry Policy

Japan will continue to promote its space industry despite the tragedy involving the US space shuttle Columbia, as it relies solely on unmanned rockets, Kyodo News reported Monday.

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Japan will continue to promote its space industry despite the tragedy involving the US space shuttle Columbia, as it relies solely on unmanned rockets, Kyodo News reported Monday.

The breakup of the space shuttle shortly before it was due to land, with the loss of all seven crew members, is expected to result in a delay in the ongoing project to build the International Space Station, in which Japan is taking part.

According to Kyodo, Japan, however, has succeeded in launching its H2-A rockets four times in a row, and has also received ordersfor two satellites, raising the likelihood the local space industry will turn profitable in the near future.

Japan has several projects aimed at fostering the industry, having requested 10.5 billion yen (88.2 million US dollars) under fiscal 2003 budgets, Kyodo said.

Among them are a 1.2 billion yen (one million US dollars) program to develop a satellite system from which cars can receive radio waves and a 3.1 billion yen (2.6 million dollars) project tocut the manufacturing costs of satellites, it said.

The world space industry is forecast to generate 40 trillion yen (336 billion dollars) in 2010, up sharply from 11 trillion yen(92.4 billion dollars) in 1998, due to expansion in such areas as satellite broadcasting, Kyodo added.

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