science

Japan Space Systems

Japan Space Systems is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Japan Space Systems rather than just read about it. In short: Japan Space Systems (般財団法人宇宙システム開発利用推進機構, Ippan Zaidan Hōjin Uchū Shisutemu Kaihatsu Riyō Suishin Kikō), or JSS, is a Japanese space agency. It was founded in 2012 with the merger of three independent organizations: the Institute for Unmanned Space Experiment Free Flyer (USEF), the Earth Remote Sensing Data Analysis Center (ERSDAC) and Japan Resources Observation System Organization (JAROS).

Key takeaways

Japan Space Systems belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Japan Space Systems to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Japan Space Systems from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Japan Space Systems (般財団法人宇宙システム開発利用推進機構, Ippan Zaidan Hōjin Uchū Shisutemu Kaihatsu Riyō Suishin Kikō), or JSS, is a Japanese space agency. It was founded in 2012 with the merger of three independent organizations: the Institute for Unmanned Space Experiment Free Flyer (USEF), the Earth Remote Sensing Data Analysis Center (ERSDAC) and Japan Resources Observation System Organization (JAROS). JSS specializes in the development and applications for earth observation satellites and satellite navigation. It has collaborated with other national and international space agencies such as NASA and the International Space Station programme.

History On 30 March 2012, three organizations merged to form Japan Space Systems: Institute for Unmanned Space Experiment Free Flyer (USEF), the Earth Remote Sensing Data Analysis Center (ERSDAC) and Japan Resources Observation System Organization (JAROS). JSS is formed as a General Incorporated Foundation (一般財団法人) under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Before the merger, the three organizations are independently administered by METI. In 2021, JSS expanded its operations by merging with the Satellite Positioning Research and Application Center (SPAC). The latter is now a division of JSS.

Goal The aim of USEF is technology development, especially the testing of commercial off-the-shelf parts (COTS), robotics, material sciences, and technology for optical earth observations.

Launch vehicle Unlike the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan Space Systems doesn't have its own launch vehicle. Instead, it has used either the H-IIA, the M-3S, or Russian rockets, so far. However, in 2008, METI mentioned the possibility of JSS developing an air-launched vehicle for small payloads.

Completed missions

EXPRESS The Experiment Re-entry Space System (EXPRESS) was a 745 kg (1,642 lbs) satellite for microgravity experiments and testing of re-entry technologies. The project was done in cooperation with ISAS (now JAXA) and DLR of Germany. On January 15, 1995, it was launched on the M-3S. However, due to a problem with the rocket, the orbit was much lower than planned. The re-entry capsule was found later in Ghana.

USERS Unmanned Space Experiment Recovery System (USERS) was launched on the H-IIA on 10 September 2002. The aim of the mission was microgravity experiments to perform the Super-Conductor Material Processing Experiment and also testing of satellite bus technologies. For the first part of the mission, USERS carried a return capsule. It was retrieved successfully on 29 May 2003. The mission of the main orbiter ended during re-entry in 2007.

SERVIS 1

The SERVIS-1 is an 840 kg (1,851 lbs) technology test mission with COTS parts. It was launched on 30 October 2003 using a Rockot carrier rocket. the mission duration was two years.

SERVIS 2

SERVIS-2 was a 900 kg (1,984 lbs) technology test mission with COTS parts. It will continue the experiments done with the first SERVIS satellite. It was launched on 2 June 2010 with a Rockot carrier rocket.

ASNARO missions

ASNARO 1 ASNARO-1, the first of "Advanced Satellite with New system Architecture Observation" series, is a 450 kg (992 lb) earth observation satellite. The expected resolution is less than 0.5 meter (1.6 ft) from an SSO orbit. The satellite was launched on 6 November 2014 by a Dnepr rocket from Yasniy, Russia.

ASNARO 2 ASNARO 2 is small X-band radar satellite for Earth observation. The satellite was launched on 17 January 2018 by an Epsilon rocket.

Other technology projects USEF developed the robotic arm of the ETS-VII project to test docking technology in the 1990s. Demonstration of Green Propellant reaction control system (GPRCS) was originally under development for SERVIS-3 project. Eventually it was launched and demonstrated successfully aboard RAPIS-1 in 2019. Hyperspectral Imager Suite (HISUI) was launched aboard SpaceX CRS-19 on 5 December 2019 to the International Space Station and installed at the External Facility of the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo.

References

External links Official website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Japan Space Systems

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Japan Space Systems claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Japan Space Systems before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Japan Space Systems ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Japan Space Systems

In research: Japan Space Systems appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Japan Space Systems in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Japan Space Systems is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Space agencies, Space program of Japan, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Japan Space Systems outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Japan Space Systems in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Japan Space Systems means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Japan Space Systems out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Japan Space Systems in simple terms?

Why does Japan Space Systems matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Japan Space Systems?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Japan Space Systems.