Space Assets Launched by Japan

Space Assets Launched by Japan
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Nations have long defeated each other in space development and exploration, and Japan’s emergence as a major player has greatly heightened its spirit of competition. The government of Japan has spent millions of dollars on space projects. New agencies have been launched, and the country has started cooperating with the United States, China, and Russia. It looks like Japan’s space agencies will soon push NASA and other popular agencies behind the competition. In recent months, the government of Japan opted for new plans for space development and exploration (Vallero, 2006). Back in January 2015, the country launched several space assets and sent a couple of astronauts to space for research purposes. The plan is to discover life on other, distant planets by 2025, and Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has called it a concrete, long-term plan that will guarantee Japan’s prominence in the world. When it comes to the financing of these space projects, the government of Japan raises money from both public and private sectors. Earlier this year, Japan upgraded its satellite system and started sending assets to space (Paus, 1999). It should be noticed that Japan began its space exploration in the 1950s, and the first research group was supervised by Hideo Itokawa from the University of Tokyo. Tiny spaceships or space assets were sent into space, and then rocket sizes increased from 30 cm to 16 m. ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science) and NASDA (National Space Development Agency) are two most developed and famous Japanese space agencies, followed by NAL (National Aerospace Laboratory) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) (Mccray, 2018).
Nano-JASMINE
The Nano-Japan Astrometry Satellite Mission for Infrared Exploration, also known as Nano-JASMINE, is a powerful microsatellite developed and launched by NAO (National Astronomical Observatory). In 2015, the space project initiated by their team was funded by Intelligent Space Systems Laboratory of the University of Tokyo. The same year, this space asset was launched along with Characterizing Exoplanets Satellite (CHEOPS). Both of them were sent into the space to discover life on distant planets. The measurement of Nano-JASMINE is nearly 50.6 by 50.5 by 51.1 centimeters and its weight is only 34 kilograms. Before sending it into space, the experts implanted a small, lightweight telescope in it to record observations with the infrared spectrum (Yamada, Shirasaki, & Nishi, 2017).
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This allowed them to capture the different patterns of Milky Way as well as the movements of its countless planets. Initially, the makers covered its exterior with two GaAs solar cells, each with 15 watts of power. It’s safe to say that Nano-JASMINE is first-of-its-kind space asset ever launched by Japan. After the success of Hipparcos in 1989 and Gaia in 2013), this space asset got public and media eye in no time. It was specifically designed to determine the wavelength of light coming from different stars. It was also responsible for discovering water, soil, and oxygen on other planets where life was likely to be possible. Nano-JASMINE detected nearly three tim...