Japan to Help Developing Countries Launch Small Satellites

Tokyo, Sept. 10 (Jiji Press)--The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs have agreed on a joint initiative to offer opportunities for developing countries to deploy small satellites from the International Space Station. Under the initiative, small satellites of educational and research institutes from developing countries will be launched about once a year from the Japanese experiment module at the ISS. The joint project is expected to help promote the peaceful use of space and develop human resources in the area of space development. "There are many countries without the capacity to deploy satellites developed by themselves," said former Japanese astronaut Takao Doi, currently working at the U.N. office. The initiative is part of the U.N. Program for Space Applications, according to JAXA. The first satellite launch under the initiative is expected to be conducted in 2017 at the earliest. Satellites to be launched under the initiative will be selected by the U.N. office and JAXA. The Japanese agency will also carry out safety checks and provide technical assistance. END