Tanegashima Space Center

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Tanegashima Space Center

種子島宇宙センター Tanegashima Uchū Sentā
Osaki range with the Yoshinobu Launch Complex in the distance
Agency overview
Formed	1969 (1969)
Headquarters	Tanegashima, Japan 30°24′00″N 130°58′12″E / 30.40000°N 130.97000°E / 30.40000; 130.97000
Parent agency	JAXA
Website	global.jaxa.jp/about/centers/tnsc

The Tanegashima Space Center^[a] (TNSC) is Japan's primary spaceport, covering approximately about 9.7 million square metres (2,400 acres; 970 ha).^[1] It is located on the southeastern tip of Tanegashima, the easternmost of the Ōsumi Islands, approximately 40 kilometers (25 mi) south of the major island of Kyushu.

The site was selected on May 24, 1966, and construction began later that year on September 17. Exactly two years later, on September 17, 1968, it hosted its first launch, a small rocket. The facility officially opened on October 1, 1969, coinciding with the establishment of its initial operator, the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA).

Now operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) since its formation in 2003, TNSC is responsible for satellite assembly, as well as launch vehicle testing, launching, and tracking.

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