Tanegashima Space Center

The Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) is Japan's primary spaceport, covering approximately about 9.7 million square metres (2,400 acres; 970 ha). 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).