Can space bring two old frenemies Japan and Russia closer together?
The two nations are examining joint projects based at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome
Japan and Russia have opened talks on cooperation in outer space projects and technology, the latest area to be on the table ahead of Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Tokyo in December.
The two nations are examining joint projects based at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, in the Amur region of the Russian Far East. Hiroshige Seko, Japan’s minister for economic cooperation with Russia, will visit Moscow in November and assist with the creation of a working group to draw up more detailed proposals for collaboration.
“The Japanese have done a tremendous job in developing their space industry on a shoestring budget,” said Lance Gatling, an aerospace analyst and president of Tokyo-based Nexial Research Inc.
“They have worked very hard for their achievements to date and had some success with commercial programmes, but not really enough to launch the industry in a big way.”
Japan’s Tanegashima Space Centre is “not ideal” because it’s too far north of the equator for larger telecommunications satellites, Gatling said, while launch sites further north - such as in the Russian Far East - are ideal for space vehicles in polar orbits.