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Japan's revamped space agency [JAXA] plans new rocket to cut launch cost TOKYO (AFP) Sep 17, 2003 Japan's revamped space agency plans to develop a new rocket to halve launch costs and will cut staff to increase its efficiency, the head of the organization said Wednesday. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), which will formally start operations on October 1, will develop a new rocket that costs about half the 8.5 billion yen (73 million dollars) needed to launch the present H-2A rocket, said Shuichiro Yamanouchi, who will become head of JAXA. "We want to pursue space technologies that...

Economic conditions too tough for Japan to conduct manned space missions TOKYO (AFP) May 23, 2003 The dream of a Japanese manned space mission is unlikely to get off the ground in the foreseeable future because the prolonged economic slump is limiting Japan's space activities, the newly-appointed head of the nation's revamped space agency said Friday. "Manned flights will naturally be part of our discussions" in drawing up the strategies of the new body, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said Shuichiro Yamanouchi, currently president of the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). "But considering Japan's economy...

TOKYO: Japan's space agency on Sunday offered its condolences and support to the United States after the shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas, killing all seven astronauts aboard. "We feel deep regret at what happened," Shuichiro Yamanouchi, president of the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) said in a statement. "We offer our condolences to the families of the seven astronauts who died and to the United States," he said. The agency said it was establishing a task force to gather information about the accident, and that it would likely have a great impact on Japan's plans to construct its...