Tanegashima Space Center
Tanegashima Space Center 種子島宇宙センター
Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture
The Tanegashima Space Center on the south east coast of Tanegashima is a major reason to visit this friendly island in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Tanegashima is the largest launch site for Japan's space agency JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). The agency maintains a large rocket launching pad (Yoshinobu Launch Complex), a building for assembling satellites, mission control, tracking stations and other facilities here.
The museum, located south of the main launch site, tells the story of the development and achievements to date of Japan's impressive space industry and its related technology.
Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture
Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture
Exhibits
The fun museum is laid out on several floors in a building located on a particularly beautiful stretch of coastline.
Exhibits include launch vehicles, satellites and parts of the International Space Station (ISS) project. The museum has a full scale model of the Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo) that is part of the ISS.
Other themes include earth observation as well as lunar and planetary exploration.
Visitors can experience a launch of Japan's large-scale rocket, the H-IIA Launch Vehicle, in a theater equipped with full audio and a large screen. There are also lots of interactive computer screen activities aimed especially at children and young adults to test their knowledge of space.
The history of lunar exploration is also presented in the Moon Scope exhibit. The information throughout the museum is presented in both Japanese and English.
The museum has an interesting shop selling souvenirs, models, key rings, phone straps, kits, T-shirts and the food that astronauts eat in space.
During a launch, which draws large crowds to the island from Japan and overseas, visitors must stay outside a 3 km radius of the lift off site.
Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima
Wall panels with information on the planets of our solar system, Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima
Access
Tanegashima Space Center
Mazu, Kukinaga, Minamitane-cho
Kumage-gun
Kagoshima Prefecture 891 3793
Tel: 0997 26 2111
Hours: 9.30 am - 5 pm; closed on Monday or the next day if Monday is a national holiday.
Admission: Free.
The museum is a 50 minute drive from Tanegashima Airport by hire car. There are very infrequent buses to the museum from Nishinoomote Port, where the ferries to and from Kagoshima and Yakushima arrive and depart. Driving from Nishinoomote takes about 70 minutes.
Tanegashima's other standout museum is the Pistol Museum in Nishinoomote.
Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima
Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture
Accommodation in Tanegashima
There is a range of available accommodation on Tanegashima from budget minshuku guest-houses to higher-end western style hotels. In Nishinoomote try the recommended Inomoto Honkan Inn (Tel: 0997 22 1100) which has several associated restaurants, the more upmarket Hotel Lexton Tanegashima, the budget Ryokan Miharusou or the three star Tanegashima Araki Hotel.
Elsewhere on Tanegashima are Zeus House, a guest house on the east coast, Minshuku Seiryukyo and the two star guest house Ebinoyu in Minamitane.
Models showing the development of Japanese launch vehicles, Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture
Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture
Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture
Map
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Tanegashima Space Center is located close to Japan's largest rocket launch site and has displays on the development of the Japanese space industry.
