Japan to launch military space force: report
Japan
is planning to launch a military space force by 2019 that would
initially be tasked with protecting satellites from dangerous debris
orbiting the Earth, a report said. The move is aimed at strengthening
Japan-US cooperation in space, and comes after the countries pledged to
boost joint work…
Japan to launch military space force: report
1 hour ago
The
Japan Air Self-Defense Force's F-15J Eagle aircraft perform a flyover
during an inspection parade at the Asaka military base in Tokyo on
October 24, 2010 (AFP Photo/Kazuhiro Nogi)
Tokyo
(AFP) - Japan is planning to launch a military space force by 2019 that
would initially be tasked with protecting satellites from dangerous
debris orbiting the Earth, a report said.
The
move is aimed at strengthening Japan-US cooperation in space, and comes
after the countries pledged to boost joint work on monitoring space
debris, Kyodo news agency said Sunday.
Japan
would provide the US military with information obtained by the force as
part of the joint bid to strengthen ties in space, the so-called
"fourth battlefield", Kyodo said, citing unnamed sources.
Japan's
defence ministry is looking at creating the new force using personnel
from the Air Self-Defence Force, the country's air force, it added.
The
unit would acquire radar and telescope facilities, jointly with the
science ministry and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, to run its
observatory operations, Kyodo said.
Thousands
of pieces of debris -- including old satellites as well as pieces of
rockets and other space equipment -- are orbiting the Earth and threaten
to collide with functioning communications and reconnaissance
satellites.
1 comment:
Space debris getting dust from solid rocket motors, surface degradation products such as paint flakes.Impacts of these particles cause erosive damage, similar to the sandblasting.One of the major defense country Japan has started to thinking seriously about a militarized program focusing on space.Now, it's creating an entire militarized force to monitor and control the debris field from the ground.In this process US and Japaneese Governments agreed in May to work together on debris monitoring force.Let see how it works and the results are going to be.
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