US looks to Japan space program to close Pacific communications gap: Tokyo's space initiative, set for launch in 2019, is turning into an effort to enhance ties with Washington in the cosmos. The US, shifting its military strategy to the Asia-Pacific, is looking for partners to extend its satellite links in the region.
The program would start as a means for protecting communication and surveillance satellites from thousands of pieces of space junk, including old satellites and rockets, now orbiting Earth.
Japan's Air-Defense Force, using sophisticated radar and telescopes, would provide feedback to the US military concerning the location of hazardous space debris, Kyodo news agency, citing sources, reported on Sunday.
The space force would also work with Japan's Science Ministry and the Aerospace Exploration Agency to oversee its observatory work.
The subject of space debris threatening military and commercial satellites grabbed the international spotlight in 2007, when China successfully destroyed one of its non-functioning satellites in a test, putting thousands of potentially destructive pieces of debris into orbit.
