Mankind getting closer to space ~"Daichi-2"launched successfully~　　宇宙は近づいている―「だいち２号」打ち上げ成功―

The main engine was ignited, a loud explosion resounded all around and the rocket went out of sight in no time, leaving a thread of smoke behind. The launch vehicle H2A No. 24 carrying the Advanced Land Observing Satellite "Daichi-2" (ALOS-2) lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Kagoshima Prefecture on May 24. Far away to the north in Ibaraki Prefecture, a large number of people, young and old, took to the Tsukuba Space Center, the birthplace of the satellite, to have a look at the liftoff on a large screen in the facility’s tracking room.

 メイン・エンジンが点火、爆音を轟かせ一筋の煙とともにロケットは見る見る視界から遠ざかる。５月２４日、陸域観測技術衛星「だいち２号」が鹿児島県・種子島宇宙センターより打ち上げられた。この様子をひと目見ようと、「だいち２号」の“生まれ故郷”である遠く離れた茨城県・筑波宇宙センターにも老若男女問わず大勢の人々が訪れ、中継室で大型スクリーンを熱心に見つめていた。　　　　　　　　　　　　   　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Daichi-2 was developed and launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), an independent administrative entity tasked with undertaking the nation’s aerospace research and development. The agency came into being in 2003 through the merger of three separate aerospace organizations. The integration was a part of the government’s administrative reforms at the time. However, it was primarily aimed to do away with the lack of coordination among the three organizations and restore the public confidence in the nation’s space development which had been tarnished by their successive mess-ups. In its early days JAXA had to face a spate of ordeals such as the midair blast of H2A rocket No. 6. But it has produced a number of brilliant results to date, including the return to Earth in June 2010 of the asteroid explorer "Hayabusa" which brought back samples from the asteroid “Itokawa” to help elucidate the origin of the solar system.

　「だいち２号」の開発、打ち上げを行ったのは独立行政法人宇宙航空研究開発機構（ＪＡＸＡ）。わが国の航空宇宙開発を担う研究機関だ。２００３年に、分散していた日本の航空宇宙３機関が統合され発足した。その狙いは国の行政改革の一環としてのみならず、各機関の連携不足を解消し、相次ぐ失敗により失われていた日本の宇宙開発への信頼回復を図ることでもあった。発足当初はＨⅡＡロケット６号機の空中爆破など試練の連続であったが、１０年の小惑星探査機「はやぶさ」のサンプルリターン（惑星試料採取・帰還）など、今日まで多くの実績を上げている。

“Precise diagnosis is needed for Earth, too” is the catchphrase of the Daichi-2 project which is aimed for the purpose of cartography, regional observation, disaster monitoring and survey of natural resources. One of its big differences from its predecessor “Daichi” is its enhanced performance. Daichi-2 is much better in terms of resolution (the ability to measure or distinguish an object) and observation frequency. The higher resolution has been made possible by the adoption of a new observation mode called a spotlight mode that can provide a 1-3-meter resolution, compared to its predecessor’s 10-meter resolution. This enables it to discern and collect information which its predecessor could not. Daichi-2’s observation frequency has been improved by expanding the observable range by 3 times, widening observable areas from 870 km to 2,320 km and adopting a right-and-left looking function, which was not available for the predecessor. In addition to these high technologies, its improved capability as a radar satellite allows it to discern even a ship at sea in a pitch-dark night.

(地球の)大地にも“精密検査”が必要だ。地図作成、地域観測、災害状況把握、資源調査などを目的に開発された今回の「だいち２号」の標語だ。初代「だいち」との大きな違いは、分解能(装置などで対象を測定または識別できる能力)および観測頻度の向上だ。新たな観測モード(スポットライト・モード)の追加により分解能は１～３メートルへと向上。分解能約１０メートルの初代機では識別できなかった情報収集が可能となる。そして観測頻度も観測可能領域の約３倍の拡大と改善されている。これらの先端技術に加え、レーダー衛星としての機能により、夜間の海上の船舶識別さえ可能となる。

"Japan’s aerospace development does not quite match its gross domestic product (GDP) that ranks third in the world. We should launch satellites not just for technical development purposes but for practical purposes."

「日本は国内総生産（ＧＤＰ）世界３位の宇宙開発ができていない。技術開発のための打ち上げだけではなく、実用化するための打ち上げをしなければならない」 

This is a remark made by an engineer who had worked for JAXA for many years. JAXA’s substantive space development budget was 180 billion yen in fiscal 2010 as compared with an equivalent of 1,757.9 billion yen (4.6 trillion yen in 2007) for the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and 501.8 billion yen (800 billion yen in 2007) for the European Space Agency (ESA). In other words, JAXA’s budget is only one-tenth of NASA’s. Japan’s overall annual space development budget, including allocations for all related ministries and agencies, is still smaller at 339 billion yen.

長年、ＪＡＸＡに勤めていたある技術者はこう語る。２０１０年度の宇宙開発予算を先進国の宇宙開発機関同士で比較すると、米航空宇宙局(ＮＡＳＡ) が約１兆７,５７９億円（０９年度は４・６兆円)、欧州宇宙機関 (ＥＳＡ) が約５,０１８億円（０７年度は約８,０００億円)であるのに対し、ＪＡＸＡの実質的な予算額は１,８００億円とＮＡＳＡの１０分の１程度にすぎない。なお他省庁の予算も含めた宇宙開発予算総額は３,３９０億円になる。

In terms of staff size, JAXA has only 1,600 persons, one-tenth or less of NASA’s 18,000 (the U.S. total comes to 43,000, including the 25,000 assigned by the Strategic Command). For comparison, ESA has 10,000 persons and the Indian Space Research Organization has 13,600 persons. India is a fast growing economy but it ranks 10^th in the world in GDP terms.

次に人員で比較しても、米国の約４３,０００人（うちＮＡＳＡが約１８,０００人、米戦略軍が約２５,０００人）、欧州の約１０,０００人、インド宇宙研究機関の約１３,６００人に対して、ＪＡＸＡはＮＡＳＡの１０分の１以下の約１,６００人である。ちなみにインドは経済成長の著しい国であるが、ＧＤＰは世界１０位である。

Today mankind is getting closer to the space. One can fly into outer space if conditions are met. A lot of consumer goods from baseball spikes to cans for drinks are manufactured with aerospace technologies. Those technologies are being put to wider practical applications, such as weather forecasting, regeneration medicine, disaster prevention and military invention. There are countless other examples. The space is coming closer and closer to us. Taking the occasion of Daichi-2’s launch, how about thinking of the outer space from time to time?

今日、民間人でも条件を満たせば宇宙に行けるほど、宇宙と人間の距離は近づいている。私たちの身近にあるもので、野球のスパイクやチューハイの缶など、宇宙航空技術によって製造されているものは多い。この他にも、天気予報、再生医療、災害対応そして軍事関係など、宇宙航空技術の恩恵を受けているものは枚挙にいとまがない。宇宙はますます我々に近づいてきた。たまには大気圏の向こう側へ思いをはせてみてはいかがだろう。

 (Written by: Masahiko Hachiro)

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