"Kakuta City, Miyagi Prefecture" is a town connected to space as a development hub for large rocket engines.

Kakuda City in Miyagi Prefecture may not be well known nationwide.

Located south of Sendai, the capital of Miyagi Prefecture, near the border with Fukushima Prefecture, the city has the Abukuma River, a first-class river, flowing through the center of the city. With little snow and an average temperature of around 12°C, it is a comfortable place to live in for the Tohoku region, and agriculture and industry are thriving

The most interesting thing about it a member of the "Galactic Federation Republic ." The "Galactic Federation Republic" is a republic (exchange organization) formed by seven cities and towns in Japan that are close to space.

• Taiki Town , Hokkaido
• Ofunato City , Iwate Prefecture
• Noshiro City , Akita
• Sagamihara City , Kanagawa
• Saku City , Nagano
• Kimotsuki Town , Kagoshima

also organized in Kakuda City, Miyagi Prefecture

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Kakuda Space Center, where rocket engines are developed

This introduction has become quite long, but the reason that Kakuda City is a part of the Galactic Federal Republic is because the city is home to JAXA's Kakuda Space Center

Its predecessor was the Kakuda Branch of the National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL), which was established in 1965. In 2003, it merged with the Kakuda Rocket Development Center of the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), which opened nearby, to become the Kakuda Space Center

The Kakuda Space Center is primarily responsible for the development and testing of rocket engines, the heart of space rockets. In particular, it has achieved many successes as a development base for the engines used in Japan's large rockets, the H-IIA and H-IIB, as well as the engines to be installed in the new H-3 rocket that will carry the future. Only engines that passed testing here have been used in the more than 60 H-II rockets that have been launched to date

The site of the Kakuda Space Center was a naval gunpowder factory until World War II. The surrounding area is hilly, and the vast Funaoka Garrison of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force is located next door, so the site was chosen because it would be safe from the loud noises and smoke produced by rocket research

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Experience cutting-edge rocket technology in the Space Development Exhibition Room

While the premises of the Kakuda Space Center are generally off-limits, there is a "Space Development Exhibition Room" open to the public, where visitors can experience Japan's cutting-edge rocket development technology

The Space Development Exhibition Room displays rocket engines and composite engines that still bear traces of combustion tests conducted at the Kakuda Space Center, as well as scale models of successive rockets, including the H-IIB, allowing visitors to witness the history of Japan's rocket development. In the video theater, videos about rockets and space development are screened, and panels introduce the progress of past, present, and future research

In particular, the Hayabusa Simulator, which allows you to simulate the mission of the asteroid probe Hayabusa, will make you feel excited as if you were the operator of the planetary probe

The Kakuda Space Center grounds are open to the public only once a year on "Kakuda Space Day" ( the Kakuda City official website

Kakuda Space Center <Information>

• Facility name: Kakuda Space Center Space Development Exhibition Room
• Address: 1 Koganezawa, Kimikaya, Kakuda City, Miyagi Prefecture
• Phone number: 050-3362-7500 (for tour inquiries)
• Opening hours: 10:00-17:00
• Admission fee: Free
• Closed: November to March, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays (open every day from May to October), New Year's holidays
• URL: Kakuda Space Center Space Development Exhibition Room

Google Maps

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The pure white H-IIB rocket is a life-size replica and the symbol of the city

In Taiyama Park in the center of Kakuda City stands a towering life-size model of the H-IIB, Japan's largest domestically produced rocket, which the Kakuda Space Center was deeply involved in. The H-IIB rocket is approximately 56.6m long and 4m in diameter, and is known for launching the "Kounotori" rocket, which supplied supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). However, the 9th rocket was launched on May 21, 2020, marking the end of its role

The H-IIB rocket at Taishan Park is painted white. This was the color it was originally in when it was developed, and when it was actually launched it was painted yellow or orange. This is a rare color that can only be found at the Kakuda Space Center, which has been working on rocket engine development from the very beginning

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Cosmo House, where real rocket engines are on display

The Space Tower is approximately 44.9 meters tall and is designed to resemble a rocket launch pad. The second and third floors are observation rooms equipped with telescopes and other equipment

Cosmo House displays actual rocket engines used in combustion experiments, a full-size artificial satellite, and more. In the exhibition room, four themes - "The Expanse of Space," "Exploring Space," "Flying in Space," and "Opening Up the Future" - are explained in an easy-to-understand manner using multi-screens and photo panels

Every year on May 5th (Children's Day), the Space Kids Festival is held mainly around Taishan Park, and events such as a plastic bottle rocket launch experience are held, attracting many parents and children. Rumor has it that aliens are also invited on this day, so you might even encounter one somewhere

Taishan Park＜Information＞

• Facility name: Taishan Park H-IIB Rocket/Space Tower Cosmo House
• Address: 100 Ushidate, Kakuda, Kakuda City, Miyagi Prefecture
• Phone number: 0224-63-5839
• Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (until 16:00 from November to February, last admission 15 minutes before closing)
• Closed: Tuesdays (or the following day if Tuesday is a national holiday), New Year's holidays (December 29th to January 3rd)
• Admission fee: "Cosmo House" Free / "Space Tower" High school students and above 380 yen, junior high school students and below free
• URL: Kakuda City Space Tower Cosmo House

Google Maps

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