Japan’s expanding role in space domain awareness

Space domain awareness remains a priority for Japan’s Space Operations Group, Col. Yuka Nakazato, Japanese Embassy air and space attaché, said July 31 at the AIAA ASCEND conference here.

Japan’s Space Operations Group is establishing a unit focused on space domain awareness under the command of a general. Japan’s first space domain awareness satellite remains on track to launch in 2026. And Japan is renaming its Air Self-Defense Force the Air and Space Self-Defense Force.

“As space system become become increasingly vital for security, economic and social activities, it is imperative to address the growing threats and risks such as counterspace capabilities and space debris,” Nakazato said.

Allied Cooperation
Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force established the Space Operations Group in 2022. Since then, Japan has expanded national space capabilities and forged close ties with allies, Nakazato said.

Japan’s space domain awareness satellites will include sensors delivered by the U.S. Space Force. The sensors, part of a U.S.-Japan cooperative program called Quasi-Zenith Satellite System Hosted Payload, were designed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory to keep tabs on spacecraft and debris in geosynchronous orbit.

In late 2023, Japan joined the Combined Space Operations initiative, a multinational partnership focused on strengthening cooperation and capabilities for joint military operations. Italy and Norway joined the organization, known as CSpO, at the same time. The U.S. led CSpO already included Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

UN COPUOS
To address space debris and responsible space activity, Japan also is participating in discussions and working groups of the United Nation’s Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, or COPUOS.

“Existing international agreement do not have any direct provisions prohibiting the destruction of objects in space or refraining from actions that cause or trigger space debris,” Nakazato said. SpaceNews