Tanegashima Space Centre

The Tanegashima Space Center (種子島宇宙センター^?, Tanegashima Uchū Sentā) (TNSC) is a Japanese space development facility. It is located on Tanegashima, an island located approximately 40 km south of Kyushu. It was established in 1969 when the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) was formed, and is now run by JAXA.

The activities that take place at TNSC include assembly, testing, launching, and tracking satellites, as well as rocket engine firing tests. It is Japan's largest space development center.

There are several facilities at the TNSC. Orbital launches of the H-II rockets took place from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex. Yoshinobu has two launch pads. One of the firing test facilities is the Yoshinobu Firing Test Stand, where testing of the H-IIA first stage engine LE-7A takes place. There are also buildings for assembly of spacecraft, and for radar and optical tracking of launched spacecraft.

The Osaki Launch Complex was retired in 1992. It was used for N-I, N-II, and H-I launches and development.

In Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest, in the Asian Campaign, the Tanegashima Space Center is an important location, pivotal in the story to the United Federation of Asian Republics reaching Mars before the Americans or Europeans. The spaceport was completely destroyed in a nuclear bombing raid by Novaya Russia, but was rebuilt by the UFAR at the request of their ally, Japan.

Episode 2 of the Japanese animated film 5 Centimeters Per Second features a rocket launch from Tanegashima Space Center.

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