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Hokkaidō Town Aims to Become East Asian Space Launch Hub

  • Sun-Synchronous Orbit and Geostationary Orbit

    Sun-Synchronous Orbit and Geostationary Orbit

  • Launch Azimuth Range

    Launch Azimuth Range

  • Space Cotan’s president, Odagiri Yoshinori (left), and the head of its Business Promoting Department, Takase Yūsuke, speak about the future of HOSPO. (© Akiyama Ayano)

    Space Cotan’s president, Odagiri Yoshinori (left), and the head of its Business Promoting Department, Takase Yūsuke, speak about the future of HOSPO. (© Akiyama Ayano)

  • Launch Complex 1 is expected to include facilities for assembling vehicles, storing propellant, and testing engine combustion. (Rendering courtesy Space Cotan)

    Launch Complex 1 is expected to include facilities for assembling vehicles, storing propellant, and testing engine combustion. (Rendering courtesy Space Cotan)

  • Launch Complex 2 will be equipped to launch larger satellites than Launch Complex 1, and will handle simultaneous assembly of multiple types of vehicles. (Rendering courtesy Space Cotan)

    Launch Complex 2 will be equipped to launch larger satellites than Launch Complex 1, and will handle simultaneous assembly of multiple types of vehicles. (Rendering courtesy Space Cotan)

  • The 1,300-meter runway will be used for the development and testing of “spaceplanes,” spacecraft with wings like airplanes for atmospheric flight. (Courtesy Space Cotan)

    The 1,300-meter runway will be used for the development and testing of “spaceplanes,” spacecraft with wings like airplanes for atmospheric flight. (Courtesy Space Cotan)

  • The jtSPACE rocket launched at HOSPO on July 12, 2025. (Courtesy Space Cotan)

    The jtSPACE rocket launched at HOSPO on July 12, 2025. (Courtesy Space Cotan)

  • Mayor Kurokawa Yutaka of Taiki, Hokkaidō, has high expectations for Hokkaidō Spaceport. (© Akiyama Ayano)

    Mayor Kurokawa Yutaka of Taiki, Hokkaidō, has high expectations for Hokkaidō Spaceport. (© Akiyama Ayano)

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