They want to become a new space power and have a patent for it

Japan is participating in the space race, but it may find it difficult to compete with the United States or China. However, after difficult beginnings, the Land of the Rising Sun developed its own plan to make money in space.

• On January 20, Japan became the fifth country to land on the moon. Although the SLIM landing mission was a partial success, it has already been included in the annals of Silver Globe exploration.
• The Japanese government pins high hopes on the space industry and intends to significantly increase funding for projects in this branch of the economy in the coming years.
• Work is also underway to develop a comprehensive space strategy covering science, security and industry.

SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) began its descent to the surface of the Silver Globe on January 20, 2024, just after midnight Japan time. During the operation, one of the two engines failed due to “external factors.” Despite this, the probe succeeded in reaching the surface, even though it landed… upside down.

This final landing had disastrous consequences. The lander was able to deploy solar arrays, but it was facing west and could only produce power when the sun shone from that direction. Until then, the SLIM system relied on batteries, and when their capacity dropped to 12 percent, it went into sleep mode.

Half the success of the Japanese lunar mission: a successful but ill-fated lander

However, it was possible to return material collected by two small SORA-Q rovers to Earth, which were successfully launched before landing. In addition, the lander also sent back 257 images of the lunar surface, captured by cameras installed on board. Scientists are now waiting for the sun to be in the right position, which allows the batteries to be charged at least a little.

The success of spacecraft missions with a diameter of only 8 cm is a smaller fraction of the success. What pleased JAXA scientists most was the successful landing “on the dot”. Previous lunar missions sent by the United States, the Soviet Union, China, and last year also India, always landed within a few or tens of kilometers of the designated point. For the SLIM that landed in the Lunar Nectar Sea, the result (i.e. deviation from the target) was only 55 metres. The Japanese managed to achieve one of the main goals of the mission and gain valuable experience.

The difficult beginnings of Japanese activity in space

In 1970, Japan became the fourth country after the Soviet Union, the United States and France to place a satellite in Earth orbit. However, Japanese activities in space were dispersed and carried out by several fairly independent organizations.

Only in 2003, the Japanese Aerospace Agency was created as a result of their merger. However, we had to wait until 2008 to develop a coherent strategy for the space. At that time, the law entitled “Basic Space Law” entered into force, on the basis of which the “Basic Space Policy Plan” was drawn up.

It is time for more concrete action in another ten years. Only then did progress made by the United States, and above all China, force the Japanese government to begin work on a broader space strategy.

An additional factor has been the success of Elon Musk and his company SpaceX, which has inspired the creation of many startups in the space industry. By mid-2023, their number had reached 85.

There is a space agency, but what can it do? Shift towards the private sector

The “Space Industry Vision 2030” announced in 2017 called for supporting the development of the private space sector. However, to begin implementing these plans, major changes were needed.

Private companies have shown loopholes in the current system. It turns out that despite great interest in cooperation with new entities, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has been unable to finance joint programs. In addition, the agency's framework is strictly defined and limited to 11 areas, such as: scientific research, satellite development, and training of engineering personnel. In December 2021, JAXA was allowed to finance projects implemented by external entities using research and technologies it had developed.

Eventually, the agency will have the right to freely fund initiatives undertaken by private companies. This will be one of the elements of the ten-year plan to develop the domestic space industry, which amounts to a comprehensive strategy, being developed by the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Tokyo is providing generous financing of 1 trillion yen (27.3 billion zlotys). The goal of the program is to provide permanent, long-term financing to startups whose projects are difficult to market and thus find investors.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plays the central role in this plan. The agency will evaluate requests for funding and support and coordinate projects implemented within the framework of the public-private partnership.

Appropriate evaluation criteria are still being developed. The “Basic Space Policy Plan” amended in June last year envisages strengthening JAXA's role in providing support to companies and universities in research and development work aimed at maintaining the advantages of Japan's space industry.

Things of particular interest in Tokyo include projects related to national security and commercial activities, such as a new generation of reusable launch vehicles intended to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9 and satellite constellations.

The Japanese model for establishing a presence in space: cooperation, niches, and the use of “terrestrial” expertise.

The Japanese realize that they do not have sufficient resources to compete with the United States and China. Therefore, Tokyo's plans assume that it will become an attractive partner for other countries interested in space exploration.

An example of this is the joint lunar mission scheduled for next year with India, which is to search for water at the poles of the Earth's satellite. In return, Toyota and Mitsubishi want to use their expertise from the automobile industry to develop modern manned lunar vehicles. Another interesting thing is cleaning satellites and clearing the Earth's orbit of space debris.

However, interest in the new industry goes beyond technical issues. Japanese insurance companies are developing a system of policies for space missions. However, a growing number of cities see their future as spaceports and centers for space tourism.

In 2020, the government estimated the value of Japan's space industry at 4 trillion yen (about 110 billion zlotys), and plans currently being developed aim to double this value by 2030.

More commentary on Asia on the Boym Institute website