The government and industry alike are pinning their hopes on the successful launch of the third H-IIA rocket, due to be sent into space Tuesday on its first full-scale operational mission.
The government expects the move to push Japan into the commercial satellite-launching business, while aerospace industry officials hope that transferring H-IIA technology to the private sector following a successful launch will boost the efficiency of the rocket program and make the nation's aerospace industry more competitive.
But many have voiced concern that Japan is trying to make inroads into the business at a time when worldwide demand for commercial satellite launches is waning. And the nation also faces a host of other problems in pursuing its aerospace program, not least of which is a mountain of fiscal debt.
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