Comparison of Asian national space programs

Several Asian countries have space programs and are actively competing to achieve scientific and technological advancements in space, a situation sometimes referred to as the Asian space race in the popular media[1] as a reference to the earlier Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. Like the previous space race, issues involved in the current push to space include national security, which has spurred many countries to send artificial satellites as well as humans into Earth orbit and beyond.[2] A number of Asian countries are seen as contenders in the ongoing race to be the pre-eminent power in space.[3]

Asian space agencies and programs

  Human Lunar Exploration + Operates Space Station + Human Spaceflight + Operates Extraterrestrial Probes + Launch Capability + Operates Satellites

  Station + Human Spaceflight + Operates Extraterrestrial Probes + Launch Capability + Operates Satellites

  Human spaceflight + Operates Extraterrestrial Probes + Launch Capability + Operates Satellites

  Operates Extraterrestrial Probes + Launch Capability + Operates Satellites

  Launch Capability + Operates Satellites

  Operates Satellites

  None Of The Above

Country	Name	Initialisms/Acronym	Founded	Terminated	Capabilities of the space agency				Remarks
					Astronauts	Operates Satellites	Sounding Rockets capable	Recoverable Biological Sounding Rockets capable
Bangladesh	Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization	SPARRSO	1980	—	No	Yes	No	No	[4]
People's Republic of China	China National Space Administration (Chinese: 国家航天局)	CNSA	22 April 1993	—	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	[5]
India	Indian Space Research Organisation (Hindi: भारतीय अंतरिक्ष अनुसंधान संगठन)	ISRO इसरो	15 August 1969	—	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	[6][7][8]
Indonesia	Indonesian: Lembaga Antariksa dan Penerbangan Nasional (National Institute of Aeronautics and Space)	LAPAN	27 November 1964	—	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Iran	Iranian Space Agency (Persian: سازمان فضایی ایران‎)	ISA	2003	—	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	[9][10][11]
Israel	Israeli Space Agency (Hebrew: סוכנות החלל הישראלית‎)	ISA סל"ה	April 1983	—	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Japan	Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Japanese: 宇宙航空研究開発機構)	JAXA	1 October 2003	—	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	[12][13]
Malaysia	Malaysian National Space Agency (Malay: Agensi Angkasa Negara)	ANGKASA	2002	—	Yes	Yes	No	No	[14]
North Korea	Korean Committee of Space Technology (Korean: 조선우주공간기술위원회)	KCST	1980s	2013	No	Yes	Yes	No	[15][16][17]
Pakistan	Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Urdu: پاکستان خلائی و بالا فضائی تحقی‍قاتی کمیشن‎)	SUPARCO سپارکو	16 September 1961	—	No	Yes	Yes	No
Philippines	Philippine Space Agency	PhilSA	8 August 2019	—	No	Yes	No	No	[18]
South Korea	Korea Aerospace Research Institute (Korean: 한국항공우주연구원)	KARI	10 October 1989	—	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Republic of China	National Space Organization (Chinese: 國家太空中心)	NSPO	3 October 1991	—	No	Yes	Yes	No	[19]
Thailand	Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Thai: สำนักงานพัฒนาเทคโนโลยีอวกาศและภูมิสารสนเทศ)	GISTDA สทอภ	3 November 2002	—	No	Yes	No	No	[20]

Asian space powers

See also: Timeline of first orbital launches by country

Of the ten countries that have independently successfully launched a satellite into orbit, six countries: Japan (1970), China (1970), India (1980), Israel (1988), Iran (2009) and North Korea (2012), are Asian. Of six major space powers in world which have full launch capabilities to transfer heavy payloads in geosynchronous orbits, can launch multiple and recoverable satellites, deploy cryogenic engines and operate extraterrestrial exploration missions, three (China, India and Japan) are Asian.

China's first manned spacecraft entered orbit in October 2003, making China the first Asian nation to send a human into space.[21] India expects to send Vyomnauts to space in the Gaganyaan capsule by 2022.[22]

While the achievements of space programs run by the main Asian space players (China, India, and Japan) pale in comparison to the milestones set by the former Soviet Union and the United States, some experts believe Asia may soon lead the world in space exploration.[23] Each Asian spacefaring country has its own dominance in specific aerospace aspect. For instance, the first Chinese manned spaceflight, in 2003, marked the beginning of a space race in the region and India is the first Asian country to successfully launch a Mars orbiter (and the first country in the world to do so in its first attempt). At the same time, the existence of a space race in Asia is still debated due to the non-concurrence of space milestone events like there was for the United States and the Soviet Union. Japan for example was the first power on Earth to get a sample return mission from an asteroid. There was however some concurrence between China and India to see which of those two could be the first to launch a probe to the Earth's moon back in the late 2000s decade. China, for example, denies that there is an Asian space race.[24] In January 2007 China became the first Asian military-space power to send an anti-satellite missile into orbit, to destroy an aging Chinese Feng Yun 1C weather satellite in polar orbit. The resulting explosion sent a wave of debris hurtling through space at more than 6 miles per second.[25][26] India did the same in 2019 by shooting down its own satellite Microsat-R. The operation was named Mission Shakti[27] A month later, Japan's space agency launched an experimental communications satellite designed to enable super high-speed data transmission in remote areas.[25]

After successful achievement of geostationary technology, India's ISRO launched its first Moon mission, Chandrayaan-1 in October 2008, which discovered ice water on the Moon.[28] India then launched on 5 November 2013 its maiden interplanetary mission, the Mars Orbiter Mission. The primary objective is to determine Mars' atmospheric composition and attempt to detect methane. The spacecraft completed its journey on 24 September 2014 when it entered its intended orbit around Mars, making India the first Asian country to successfully place a Mars orbiter and the only country in history to do so in the first attempt. ISRO became the fourth space agency in the world to send a spacecraft to Mars, only behind NASA, ROSCOSMOS, and ESA. China & India have tested their anti- satellite weapons respectively in 2007 and 2019, making them only countries after US & USSR/Russia to possess ASAT weapons.

In addition to increasing national pride, countries are commercially motivated to operate in space. Commercial satellites are launched for communications, weather forecasting, and atmospheric research. According to a report by the Space Frontier Foundation released in 2006, the "space economy" is estimated to be worth about $180 billion, with more than 60% of space-related economic activity coming from commercial goods and services.[2] China and India propose the initiation of a commercial launch service.

China

Main articles: Chinese space program and China National Space Administration

Several rockets of the Long March family

China has a space program with an independent human spaceflight capability. It has developed a sizable family of successful Long March rockets. It has launched two lunar orbiters, Chang'e 1 and Chang'e 2. On 2 December 2013, China launched a modified Long March 3B rocket, with Chang'e 3 Moon lander and its rover Yutu on-board toward the Moon and successfully performed soft landing and rover operations, becoming the third country to do so.[29] It also has plans to retrieve samples by late 2017. In 2011, China embarked on a program to establish a manned space station, starting with the launch of Tiangong 1 and followed by Tiangong 2 in 2016. China attempted to send a Mars orbiter (Yinghuo-1) in 2011 on a joint mission with Russia, which failed to leave Earth orbit. Nevertheless, the 2020 Chinese Mars Mission with an orbiter, a lander and a rover has been approved by the government and is aiming a launch date in the year 2020.[30] China has collaborative projects with Russia, ESA, and Brazil, and has launched commercial satellites for other countries. Some analysts suggest that the Chinese space program is linked to the nation's efforts at developing advanced military technology.[31]

China's advanced technology is the result of the integration of various related technological experiences. Early Chinese satellites, such as the FSW series, have undergone many atmospheric reentry tests. In the 1990s China had commercial launches, resulting in more launch experiences and a high success rate after the 1990s. China has aimed to undertake scientific development in fields like Solar System exploration. China's Shenzhou 7 spacecraft successfully performed an EVA in September 2008. China's Shenzhou 9 spacecraft successfully performed a manned docking in June 2012. Furthermore, China's Chang'e 2 explorer became the first object to reach Sun-Earth Lagrangian point in August 2011 and also the first probe to explore both Moon and asteroid by making a flyby of the asteroid 4179 Toutatis. China has launched DAMPE, the most capable dark matter explorer to date in 2015, and world's first quantum communication satellite QUESS in 2016.

India

Main articles: Indian Space Research Organisation, List of Indian satellites, and List of ISRO missions

GSLV Mk III D2 on launch pad carrying GSAT-29

India's interest in space travel began in the early 1960s, when scientists launched a Nike-Apache rocket from TERLS, Kerala.[32][33] Under Vikram Sarabhai, the program focused on the practical uses of space in increasing the standard of living. Remote sensing and communications satellites were placed into orbit.[34]

The first Indian to travel in space was Rakesh Sharma, who flew aboard Soyuz T-11, launched 2 April 1984, from erstwhile USSR.[35]

Just a few days after China said that it would send a human into orbit in the second half of 2003, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee publicly urged his country's scientists to work towards sending a man to the Moon.[36] India successfully sent its first probe to the Moon known as Chandrayaan-1 in October 2008 which helped in finding the presence of water in the Moon [37] and has already launched its second Moon mission, Chandrayaan-2 to the south pole of the Moon.[38][39]

ISRO launched its Mars Orbiter Mission on 5 November 2013 (informally called "Mangalyaan") which successfully entered into the orbit around Mars on 24 September 2014. India is the first in Asia and fourth in the world to perform a successful Mars mission. It is also the only one to do so on the first attempt and at a record low cost of $74 million.[40]

ISRO has demonstrated its re-entry technology and till date has launched as many as 175 foreign satellites belonging to global customers from 20 countries including US, Germany, France, Japan, Canada, U.K. All of these have been launched successfully by PSLVs so far, gaining significant expertise in space technologies. In June 2016, India set a record by launching 20 satellites simultaneously.[41] The PSLVs are also one of world's most reliable launch vehicles which clocked its 35th successful mission (39 total) in a row as of February 2017, thus having success rate of nearly 90%.

India broke the world record by successfully placing 104 satellites (almost tripling the Russian record of 37) in Earth Orbit on 15 February 2017 on a single rocket launch (PSLV-C37).[42][43]

Recent reports indicate that human spaceflight is planned with a spacecraft called Gaganyaan for December 2021 on a home-grown GSLV-III rocket.[44] ISRO is also planning to send orbiters to Venus, Mars and in the near future. India has successfully tested anti-satellite missile, becoming the fourth country to do so.

Japan

The H-IIA F11 launch vehicle lifts off from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan

Japan has been cooperating with the United States on missile defence since 1999. North Korean nuclear and Chinese military programs represent a serious issue for Japan's foreign relations.[45] Japan is working on military and civilian space technologies, developing missile defence systems, new generations of military spy satellites, and planning for manned stations on the Moon.[46] Japan started to construct spy satellites after North Korea test fired a Taepodong missile over Japan in 1998. The North Korean government claimed the missile was merely launching a satellite to space, and accused Japan of causing an arms race.[47] The Japanese constitution adopted after World War II limits military activities to defensive operations. In May 2007 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for a bold review of the Japanese Constitution to allow the country to take a larger role in global security and foster a revival of national pride.[48] Japan has not yet developed its own manned spacecraft and does not have a program in place to develop one. The Japanese space shuttle HOPE-X, to be launched by the conventional space launcher H-II, was developed but the program was postponed and eventually cancelled. Then the simpler manned capsule Fuji was proposed but not adopted. Pioneer projects of single-stage to orbit, reusable launch vehicle horizontal takeoff and landing ASSTS and vertical takeoff and landing Kankoh-maru were developed but have not been adopted. A more conservative new (JAXA manned spacecraft) project is proposed to launch by 2025 as part of the Japanese plan to send manned missions to the Moon. Shin'ya Matsuura is doubtful about the Japanese manned Moon project, and suspects the project is a euphemism for participation in the American Constellation program.[49] JAXA planned to send a humanoid robot (such as ASIMO) to the Moon.[49]

Other players

Iran

Main article: Iranian Space Agency

Iranian Simorgh (rocket) SLV

Iran has developed its own satellite launch vehicle, named the Safir SLV, based on the Shahab series of IRBMs. On 2 February 2009, Iranian state television reported that Iran's first domestically made satellite Omid (from the Persian امید, meaning "Hope") had been successfully launched into low Earth orbit by a version of Iran's Safir rocket, the Safir-2.[50] The launch coincided with the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. Iran is also developing a new launch vehicle Simorgh (rocket).

Israel

Main article: Israel Space Agency

Shavit, the Israeli orbital launch system

Israel became the eighth country in the world to build its own satellite and launch it with its own launcher on 19 September 1988. Israel launched its first satellite, Ofeq-1, using an Israeli-built Shavit three-stage launch vehicle.[51] The launching was the high point of a process that began in 1983 with the establishment of the Israel Space Agency under the aegis of the Ministry of Science. Space research by university-based scientists began in the 1960s, providing a ready-made pool of experts for Israel's foray into space. Since then, local universities, research institutes, and private industry, backed by the Israel Space Agency, have made progress in space technology. The agency's role is to support "private and academic space projects, coordinate their efforts, initiate and develop international relations and projects, head integrative projects involving different bodies, and create public awareness for the importance of space development."[52]

North Korea

Main article: National Aerospace Development Administration

North Korea has many years of experience with rocket technology, which it has passed along to Pakistan and other countries. On 12 December 2012, North Korea placed its first satellite in orbit with the launch of Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2. On 12 March 2009 North Korea signed the Outer Space Treaty and the Registration Convention,[53] after a previous declaration of preparations for the launch of Kwangmyongsong-2. North Korea twice announced satellite launches: Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 on 31 August 1998 and Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 on 5 April 2009. Neither of these claims were confirmed by the rest of the world, but the United States and South Korea believe there were tests of military ballistic missiles. The North Korean space agency is the Korean Committee of Space Technology, which operates the Musudan-ri and Tongch'ang-dong Space Launch Center rocket launching sites and has developed the Baekdusan-1 and Unha (Baekdusan-2) space launchers and Kwangmyŏngsŏng satellites. In 2009 North Korea announced several future space projects, including manned space flights and the development of a manned partially reusable launch vehicle.[54] The successor to the Korean Committee of Space Technology, National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) successfully launched an Unha-3 launch vehicle in February 2016, placing the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4 satellite in orbit.

Indonesia

Main article: National Institute of Aeronautics and Space

LAPAN is responsible for long-term civilian and military aerospace research Indonesia. In July 1976, Indonesia became the first developing country to operate its own domestic satellite system.[55] In October 1985, Indonesian scientist, Pratiwi Sudarmono was selected to take part in the NASA Space Shuttle missions STS-61-H as a Payload Specialist. Taufik Akbar was her backup on the mission. However, after the Challenger disaster the deployment of commercial satellites like the Indonesian Palapa B-3 planned for the STS-61-H mission was canceled, thus the mission never took place. The satellite was later launched with a Delta rocket.[56] For over two decades, Indonesia has managed satellites and domain-developed small scientific-technology satellites LAPAN and telecommunication satellites Palapa, which were built by Hughes (now Boeing Satellite Systems) and launched from the US on Delta rockets or from French Guiana using Ariane 4 and Ariane 5 rockets. It has also developed sounding rockets and has been trying to develop small orbital space launchers. The LAPAN A1 in 2007 and LAPAN A2 satellites were launched by India in 2015.[57] Indonesia has undertaken programs to develop and use their own small space launch vehicle Pengorbitan (RPS-420).[58][59]

South Korea

Main article: Korea Aerospace Research Institute

South Korea is a newer player in the Asian space race.[60] In August 2006 South Korea launched its first military communications satellite, the Mugunghwa-5. The satellite was placed in geosynchronous orbit and collects surveillance information about North Korea.[61] The South Korean government is spending hundreds of millions of dollars in space technology and was due to launch its first space launcher, the Korea Space Launch Vehicle, in 2008.[62] South Korea's government justifies the cost for reasons of long-term commercial benefits and national pride. South Korea has long seen North Korea's significantly longer missile range as a serious threat to its national security. With the nation's first astronaut launched into space, Lee So-yeon, South Korea gained confidence in entering the Asian space race. They have completed the construction of Naro Space Center. South Korea is now attempting to build satellites and rockets with local technology.[63] South Korea is pursuing a space program that could defend the peninsula while lessening their dependency on the United States.

Turkey

Main article: Turkish Space Agency

As of 2012 Turkey was developing its own military satellite. The first Göktürk satellite is planned to be launched in 2013. The Turkish satellite is planned to be capable of taking satellite images of greater than two meters per pixel resolution, thus making Turkey the second nation in the world capable of such a feat, after the United States.[64] Turkey is also developing an orbital launch system known as UFS.[65]

Other nations and regions

Other minor spacefaring countries are Bangladesh, Malaysia and Pakistan. On 7 June 1962, with the launch of the Rehbar-I rocket, Pakistan became the tenth country in the world to successfully conduct the launch of an unmanned spacecraft. SUPARCO has launched a number of sounding rockets. Pakistan's first satellite, Badr-I was launched from China in 1990, Badr-B in 2001 from Baikonur Cosmodrome using a Ukrainian Zenit-2 rocket, followed by Paksat-1R in 2011 which was contracted and actually built and launched by China, was Pakistan's first communication satellite.[66] Under its Space programme 2040, Pakistan aims to operate five geostationary and six low earth orbit satellites. Development of any satellite launch vehicle is not planned.

With the launch of Bangabandhu-1 satellite purchased abroad, Bangladesh began operating its first communication satellite in 2018. Bangladesh Space Agency intends to launch satellites after 2020. Bangladesh's government has stressed that the country seeks an "entirely peaceful and commercial" role in space.[67]

Timeline of national firsts

See also: Comparison of Asian national space programs § Comparison of key technologies

– Indigenous manned missions

– Manned missions

– Lunar or Interplanetary missions

– Other missions

Date	Nation	Name	Asian First	World achievements
4 October 1957	Soviet Union (now under  Kazakhstan)	Baikonur Cosmodrome	Satellite launch pad	The first satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched.
11 February 1970	Japan	Ohsumi	Satellite	The smallest satellite launch vehicle (L-4S; 9.4t weight, 1.4m diameter)
24 February 1975	Japan	Taiyo	Solar probe
26 October 1975	China	FSW-0	Satellite recovery[68]
26 October 1975	China	FSW-0: – 10m (1975) FSW-1B: – 4m (1992)[69] Beidou: – 0.5m (till 2007)[70]	High resolution imaging satellite
8 July 1976	Indonesia	Palapa A1	Geosynchronous satellite (launched by NASA)
23 February 1977	Japan	N-I	Geosynchronous launch
21 February 1979	Japan	Hakucho	Space observatory
23 July 1980	Vietnam	Phạm Tuân	Asian in space (Soyuz 37)
20 September 1981	China	FB-1	Simultaneous satellite launch[71]
8 January 1985	Japan	Sakigake	Leaving Earth orbit	The first interplanetary launch by solid rocket (M-3SII)
19 March 1990	Japan	Hagoromo	Reach lunar orbit (assumed)
7 April 1990	China	CZ-3	Commercial launch (AsiaSat 1)
10 April 1993	Japan	Hiten	Intentional lunar impact	The first aerobraking test[72]
8 July 1994	Japan	Chiaki Mukai	Asian woman in space (STS-65)
19 November 1997	Japan	Takao Doi	Spacework (STS-87)
28 November 1997	Japan	ETS-VII	Rendezvous docking
3 July 1998	Japan	Nozomi	Martian mission (Failure)
30 October 2000	China	Beidou	Satellite navigation system
10 September 2002	Japan	Kodama[73]	Data relay satellite (with ESA)
15 October 2003	China	Yang Liwei	First man in space launched by an Asian space program
15 October 2003	China	Shenzhou 5	Manned spacecraft
19 November 2005	Japan	Hayabusa	Soft-landed probe on extraterrestrial object	The first asteroid ascent, sample return from an asteroid
11 January 2007	China	FY-1C	ASAT test	Highest in history with altitude 865 km, also the fastest with speed 18k miles
23 February 2008	Japan	WINDS	Internet satellite	The fastest internet satellite[74]
11 March 2008	Japan	Japanese Experiment Module	Manned foundations in space (STS-123, STS-124, STS-127)	The world's largest pressurized volume in space[75]
25 April 2008	China	Tianlian I	Indigenous Tracking & Data Relay Satellite System First TDRS system to support manned missions
27 September 2008	China	Zhai Zhigang (Shenzhou 7)	Indigenous EVA
27 September 2008	China	BanXing	Manned spacecraft-launched satellite
14 November 2008	India	Moon Impact Probe	Probe designed for Lunar impact	Discovered water on the Moon before impact.[76][77]
23 January 2009	Japan	GOSAT	Greenhouse gas explorer[78]
20 May 2010	Japan	Akatsuki	First Asian Venus mission
21 May 2010	Japan	IKAROS	Solar sail	The first spacecraft to successfully demonstrate solar-sail technology in interplanetary space
25 August 2011	China	Chang'e 2	Lunar probe with extended deep space missions (asteroid mission to 4179 Toutatis).
29 September 2011	China	Tiangong-1	First Asian Space station
18 June 2012	China	Shenzhou 9	First manned space docking by an Asian country (with Tiangong-1)
14 December 2013	China	Chang'e 3/Yutu	First lunar soft landing and lunar rover by an Asian country.	First lunar soft landing in 21st century
24 September 2014	India	Mars Orbiter Mission	First successful Mars mission by an Asian country	First Martian mission by a country to succeed on the first attempt. Third country to do so after the USSR and the USA.
15 February 2017	India	PSLV-C37	First to successfully launch and deploy 104 satellites simultaneously from a single rocket (PSLV -C37).[79][80]	First country in the world to launch more than 100 satellites at one go.
3 January 2019	China	Chang'e 4	First soft landing on the far side of the Moon	First soft landing on the far side of the Moon by any country. Landed with Yutu-2 rover.

Other achievements

• First Asian country to collaborate on the International Space Station –  Japan

Timeline of the heaviest satellite launch vehicle in Asia

First success	LEO	GTO / GEO	Notes
11 Feb 1970	L-4S (26 kg)		First launch was 1966 (failed 4 times).
24 Apr 1970	CZ-1 (0.3 t)		First launch failed in 1969.
26 Jul 1975	FB-1 (2.5 t)		Suborbital flight was performed in 1972. CZ-2A (LEO 2t) failed in 1974.
16 Jul 1990	CZ-2E (LEO 9.2 t / GTO 3.5 t)
20 Aug 1997	CZ-3B (LEO 12 t / GTO 5.2 t)
18 Dec 2006	H-IIA204 (LEO 15 t / GTO 5.8 t)
10 Sep 2009	H-IIB (LEO 19 t / GTO 8 t)
3 Nov 2016	H-IIB (LEO 19 t)	CZ-5 (GTO 14 t)[81]
5 May 2020	CZ-5 (LEO 25 t / GTO 14 t)

Comparison of key technologies

Records of each country are listed by chronological order unless otherwise noted.

Launch vehicle technology

First successful independent launches (rocket/satellite)

Main article: Timeline of first orbital launches by country

Country	Year	Mission
Japan	1970	Lambda-4S/Ohsumi
China	1970	Long March 1/Dong Fang Hong I
India	1980	SLV/Rohini D1
Israel	1988	Shavit/Ofeq 1
Iran	2009	Safir-1/Omid
North Korea	2012	Unha-3/Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2

Solid fuel rockets

Country	Rocket	Burn time	Specific impulse (Vac.)	Thrust (Vac.)
India	S200 booster rocket stage[82]	130s	274.5s	5,150 kN (1,160,000 lbf)
Japan	SRB-A series solid fueled rocket boosters	100s	280s	2,260 kN (510,000 lbf)
Israel	Shavit's first stage	82s	280s	1,650 kN (370,000 lbf)
China	Kuaizhou series of launch vehicles
China	Long March 11 launch system

Cryogenic and semi-cryogenic rocket engines

Country	Engine	Thrust (vac.)	Stage	Cycle	Active	Status
Japan	LE-5 cryogenic engine	LE-5 — 102.9 kN (23,100 lbf) ---------- LE-5A — 121.5 kN (27,300 lbf) ---------- LE-5B — 144.9 kN (32,600 lbf)	Upper stage	5 — Gas generator 5A and 5B — Expander	1986 — present	In service
	LE-7 cryogenic engine	LE-7 — 1,078 kN (242,000 lbf) ---------- LE-7A — 1,074 kN (241,000 lbf)	Booster	Staged combustion	1994 — present	In service
China	YF-73 cryogenic engine	44.15 kN (9,930 lbf)	Upper stage	Gas generator	1987-2000	Retired
	YF-75 cryogenic engine	78.45 kN (17,640 lbf)	Upper stage	Gas generator	1994 — present	In service
	YF-75D cryogenic engine	88.26 kN (19,840 lbf)	Upper stage	Expander	2016 — present	In service
	YF-77 cryogenic engine	700 kN (160,000 lbf)	Booster	Gas generator	2016 — present	In service
India	CE-7.5 cryogenic engine	73.5 kN (16,500 lbf)	Upper stage	Staged combustion	2014 — present	In service
	CE-20 cryogenic engine	200 kN (45,000 lbf)	Upper stage	Gas-generator	2017 — present	In service
	SCE-200 semi-cryogenic engine	2,030 kN (460,000 lbf)	Booster	Staged combustion	After 2022	Under development

Capability of Launch Vehicle (in active)

Country	Highest payload capacity
	LEO			GTO
	Launch Vehicle	Payload capacity	Active since	Launch Vehicle	Payload capacity	Active since
China	CZ-5	25,000 kg (55,000 lb)	2016	CZ-5	14,000 kg (31,000 lb)	2016
Japan	H-IIB	16,500 kg (36,400 lb)	2009	H-IIB	8,000 kg (18,000 lb)	2009
India	GSLV MkIII	10,000 kg (22,000 lb)	2017	GSLV MkIII	4,000 kg (8,800 lb)	2017
Israel	Shavit	800 kg (1,800 lb)	1988	Not any yet
North Korea	Unha-3	200 kg (440 lb)	2009	Not any yet
Iran	Safir-1B	50 kg (110 lb)	2008	Not any yet

Biggest multi-satellite simultaneous launches (by number)

Country	Number of satellites	Year	Launch Vehicle	Flight
India	104	2017	PSLV-XL	C37
China	20	2015	Long March 6	1
Japan	8	2009	H-IIA	F15

First flight of space shuttles

Including shuttle-shaped hypersonic reentry vehicles reach to space.

Country	Spaceplane	First flight mission	Year	Program status
Japan	HOPE-X	HYFLEX	1996	Cancelled
China	Various	Shenlong	2007	Under development
India	RLV–TD	Hypersonic Flight Experiment	2016	Under development

Satellite technology

Payloads in orbit by number

First five as of 1 February 2020[83]

Country	Active	In orbit	Decayed	Total
China	352	407	84	491
Japan	90	183	65	248
India	64	101	12	113
Israel	17	20	6	26
South Korea	15	22	5	27

Optical satellite imagery (by highest available resolution)

Country	Resolution	Satellite	Year launched
India	0.25 meter	Cartosat-3	2019
Japan	0.4 meter	IGS Optical 5V	2013
Israel	0.5 meter	Ofeq 9	2010
China	0.5 meter	Gaofen 9	2015
South Korea	0.7 meter	KOMPSAT-3	2012
Iran	150 meters	Rasad 1	2011

Radar satellite imagery (by resolution)

Country	Resolution	Satellite	Year launched
India	0.35 meter	RISAT-2BR1	2019
	0.5 meter x 0.3 meter	RISAT-2B	2019
Japan	0.5 meter	IGS R-5	2017
Israel	0.5	TecSAR	2008
China	0.5 meter	Yaogan 29	2015
South Korea	1 meter	KOMPSat-5	2013

Communications satellite technology

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Country	Satellite	Transponders	Mass	Power	Year launched
China	NIGCOMSAT 1R	28	5,150 kg (11,350 lb)	10.5 kW	2011
Japan	ST-2	51	5,090 kg (11,220 lb)		2011
India	GSAT-16	48	3,100 kg (6,800 lb)	5.6 kW	2014
	GSAT-11	40	5,854 kg (12,906 lb)	13.6 kW	2018

Solar Sail spacecraft

Country	Satellite	Type	Year launched
Japan	IKAROS	Extraterrestrial exploration	2010

Spacecraft powered by indigenous plasma thrusters

Country	Spacecraft (engine)	Power	Thrust	Specific impulse	Year
Japan	ETS-IV (Unnamed teflon pulsed plasma thruster)	20 W		300s	1981
	Space Flyer Unit (EPEX, magnetoplasmadynamic thruster)	430 W	12.9 mN	600s	1995
China	Dongfeng 5 ballistic rocket (MDT-2A, teflon pulsed plasma thruster)	5 W		280s	1981

Spacecraft powered by indigenous ion thrusters

Country	Spacecraft	Power	Thrust	Specific impulse	Year launched
Japan	Hayabusa (μ-10, microwave ion thrusters)	350 W	8 mN	3200s	2003
China	Shijian 9A (LIPS-200, ring-cusp magnetic field ion thruster)	1 kW	40 mN	3000s	2012
India	GSAT-20 (Full)				2020 (Planned)

Spacecraft powered by indigenous Hall thrusters

Country	Spacecraft	Power	Thrust	Specific impulse	Year launched
South Korea	DubaiSat-2	0.3 kW	7 mN	1000s	2013
China	Shijian 17 (HEP-100MF, magnetic focusing hall thruster)	1.4 kW		1850s	2016
	Shijian 17 (LHT-100)	1.35 kW	80 mN	1600s

Manned spaceflight and rendezvous space docking and berthing capabilities

First indigenous manned spaceflights

Main article: List of human spaceflight programs

Country	Program		First successful human spaceflight		Status
	Name	Period	Year	Spacecraft
China	Project 714	1968-72	N/A	Shuguang-1	Cancelled
	Project 873	1978-80	N/A	Piloted FSW satellite	Cancelled
	Shenzhou	1992-present	2003	Shenzhou 5	Ongoing
India	Indian Human Spaceflight Programme	2007-present	2021 (Planned) Before August 2022 (Scheduled)	Gaganyaan	Ongoing

Independent human spaceflights

See also: List of space travelers by nationality

Country	Total persons	Total flights
China[84]	11	11

First independent extravehicular activity

Country	Spacecraft involved	Year
China	Shenzhou 7	2008

First independent Space rendezvous

Country	Unmanned rendezvous		Manned rendezvous
	Spacecraft involved	Year	Spacecraft involved	Year
Japan	ETS-VII	1997
China	Shenzhou 8 & Tiangong 1	2011	Shenzhou 9 & Tiangong 1	2012
India	SPADEX	2020 (Planned)

First space habitation module

Country	Spacecraft	Year launched
Japan	Kibo	2008
China	Tiangong 1	2011
India[85][86][87][88]	Indian Space Station	~2030 (Proposed)

First Space laboratory

Country	Spacecraft	Year
Japan	Kibo	2009
China	Tiangong 2	2016
India	Indian Space Station	~2030(Proposed)

Resupply spacecraft

Country	Spacecraft	Launch payload	Year launched
Japan	HTV	6,000 kg (13,000 lb)	2009
China	Tianzhou	6,500 kg (14,300 lb)	2017

Lunar exploration

First orbiters to the Moon

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year
1	Japan	Hiten/Hagoromo	1990
2	China	Chang'e 1	2007
3	India	Chandrayaan-1	2008
TBD	South Korea	Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter	2020 (Planned)

First intentional Moon landings

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year	Landing type
1	Japan	Hiten	1993	Controlled impact
2	India	Moon Impact Probe	2008	Controlled impact
3	China	Chang'e 1	2009	Controlled impact

First Lunar soft landings/Lunar rovers

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year
1	China	Chang'e 3/Yutu	2013
TBD	Israel	Beresheet	2019 (Failed)
TBD	India	Chandrayaan-2/Pragyan	2019 (Failed)
		Chandrayaan-3	2021 (Planned)
TBD	India  Japan	Lunar Polar Exploration Mission	2024 (Planned)

Interplanetary exploration missions

First probes to Mercury

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year	Type
TBD	Japan	Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter	2018 (en route)	Orbiter

First probes to Venus

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year	Type
1	Japan	Akatsuki	2015	Orbiter
TBD	India	Shukrayaan-1	2023 (Planned)	Orbiter with aerobots

First orbiters to Mars

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year
1	India	Mars Orbiter Mission	2013[89]
TBD	Japan	Nozomi	1998 (Failed)
TBD	China	Yinghuo-1	2011 (Failed)[90]
		Tianwen-1	2020 (en route)
TBD	United Arab Emirates	Hope Mars Mission	2020 (en route)

First intentional Mars landing

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year	Landing type
TBD	China	Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter and Small Rover	2021 (en route)	Soft landing
TBD	India	Mars Orbiter Mission 2	2024 (Planned)[91]	TBD

First Asteroid explorations

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year	Type
1	Japan	Hayabusa	2003	Sample return
2	China	Chang'e 2	2012	Flyby

Other comparable technologies

Nation	Multi-satellite simultaneous launches	Launch of foreign satellite	Geostationary launches	Atmos- pheric reentry	Rendezvous dockings in orbit	Satellite navigation system	Data relay satellites	Martian missions	Solar Space Missions	Space observatories
China	1981 (FB-1)[92] 3 Sats	1990 CZ-2E science satellite	1984 Dong Fang Hong 02 (by CZ-3)	1975 FSW-0	2011 Tiangong 1	2000 Beidou	2008 Tianlian I	2011 Yinghuo-1 (Failure)	(planned) Solar Space Telescope	2017 Space Hard X-Ray Modulation Telescope
India	1999 (PSLV-CA C2) 3 Sats	1999 PSLV-C2 Kitsat-3 DLR-Tubsat	2001 Kalpana-1 (by PSLV)	2007 SRE-1	SPADEX (planned)	2013 IRNSS[93]	IDRSS (Planned)	2013 Mangalyaan[89] (orbiter)	2021 (planned) Aditya-L1	2015 Astrosat
Japan	1986 (H-I H15F)[94] 3 Sats	2002 H-IIA FedSat	1977 ETS-II[95] (by N-I)	1994 OREX	1997 ETS-VII[96]	2010 QZSS[97]	2002 Kodama	1998 Nozomi (orbiter) (Failure)	1975 Taiyo[98]	1979 Hakucho

? : Date is assumed
Only projects with under-development or above status have been listed

Asian orbital launch systems

Orbital launch systems from Asian national space agencies

Main article: List of orbital launch systems

Long March 3B lifting off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

Launch of GSLV Mk III D2 from SLP SDSC carrying GSAT-29.

H-IIB F2 carrying HTV-2.

The list documents launch systems developed or used by national space agencies only and not private spaceflight companies.

Legend

  Under development

  Operational

  Retired/Cancelled

Launch system		Country of origin	Class and type	Payload capacity			Maiden flight	Manufacturer	Status	Ref
				LEO (Orbit)	GTO	Other
Al-Abid		Iraq	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	100 kg (220 lb) to 300 kg (660 lb) (200 km (120 mi) to 500 km (310 mi)	N/A		1989	Space Research Center, Baghdad	Abandoned	[99]
Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle		India	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	150 kg (330 lb) (400 km (250 mi))	N/A		1987	ISRO	Retired	[100]
Epsilon		Japan	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	1,500 kg (3,300 lb) (250 km (160 mi)x500 km (310 mi)) 700 kg (1,500 lb) (500 km (310 mi))		590 kg (1,300 lb) to 500 km (310 mi) (SSO)	2013	JAXA	In service	[101]
Feng Bao 1		China	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,500 kg (5,500 lb)			1972	Shanghai Bureau No.2	Retired	[102]
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle	GSLV Mk I	India	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	5,000 kg (11,000 lb)	2,150 kg (4,740 lb)		2001	ISRO	Retired	[103]
	GSLV Mk II			5,000 kg (11,000 lb)	2,700 kg (6,000 lb)		2010	ISRO	In service
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III		India	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	10,000 kg (22,000 lb)	4,000 kg (8,800 lb)		2014 (Suborbital) 2017 (Orbital)	ISRO	In service	[104]
GX		Japan  United States	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,600 kg (7,900 lb)		1,814 kg (3,999 lb) to 800 km (500 mi) SSO	N/A	JAXA/ULA/IHI	Cancelled	[105]
H-I		Japan	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,200 kg (7,100 lb)	1,100 kg (2,400 lb)		1986	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	Retired	[106]
H-II	H-II	Japan	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	10,060 kg (22,180 lb)	3,930 kg (8,660 lb)		1994	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	Retired	[107]
	H-IIA			10,000 kg (22,000 lb) to 15,000 kg (33,000 lb)	4,100 kg (9,000 lb) to 6,000 kg (13,000 lb)		2001	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries/ATK	In service	[108]
	H-IIB			16,500 kg (36,400 lb)	8,000 kg (18,000 lb)		2009	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	In service	[109]
H3		Japan	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle		>8,000 kg (18,000 lb)	>4,000 kg (8,800 lb) to SSO (Minimum configuration)	2020 (Planned)	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	Under development	[110]
J-I		Japan	Experimental expendable launch vehicle	-	-	1,054 kg (2,324 lb) along 1,300 km (810 mi) downrange.	1996	NASDA/ISAS	Retired	[111]
Jielong-1		China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle		N/A	150 kg (330 lb) to 700 km (430 mi) (SSO)	2019	CALT	In service	[112]
Kaituozhe	Kaituozhe-1	China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	100 kg (220 lb)	Not applicable		2002	CASC	Retired	[113]
	Kaituozhe-2		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	800 kg (1,800 lb)			2017		In service	[114]
	Kaituozhe-2A		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,000 km (1,200 mi)			Unconfirmed		Unknown
Kuaizhou	Kuaizhou 1	China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle		N/A	430 kg (950 lb) to 500 km (310 mi) (SSO)	2013	CASC	In service	[115][116]
	Kuaizhou-1A		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	300 kg (660 lb)	N/A	250 kg (550 lb) to 500 km (310 mi) (SSO) 200 kg (440 lb) to 700 km (430 mi) (SSO)	2017		In service
	Kuaizhou-11		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	1,500 kg (3,300 lb)		1,000 kg (2,200 lb) to 700 km (430 mi) (SSO)	2019-20 (Planned)		Under development	[117]
	Kuaizhou-21		Heavy lift expendable launch vehicle	20,000 kg (44,000 lb)			2025 (Projected)		Under development	[115][118]
	Kuaizhou-31		Super heavy lift expendable launch vehicle	70,000 kg (150,000 lb)			TBD		Under development
Lambda (rocket family)		Japan	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	26 kg (57 lb)			1970	ISAS/Nissan	Retired	[119]
Long 1 March rocket family	Long March 1	China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	300 kg (660 lb)	N/A		1970	MAI/CASC/CAST	Retired	[120]
	Long March 1D		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	930 kg (2,050 lb)	N/A		1995	CALT	Retired	[121]
Long March 2	Long March 2A	China	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,000 kg (4,400 lb)			1974	CALT	Retired	[122]
	Long March 2C		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,850 kg (8,490 lb)	1,250 kg (2,760 lb)	1,900 kg (4,200 lb) to SSO	1982		In service
	Long March 2D		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,500 kg (7,700 lb)		1,300 kg (2,900 lb) to SSO	1992		In service
	Long March 2E		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	9,500 kg (20,900 lb)	3,500 kg (7,700 lb)		1990		In service
	Long March 2F		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	8,400 kg (18,500 lb)			1990		In service
Long March 3	Long 3 March	China	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	5,000 kg (11,000 lb)	1,500 kg (3,300 lb)		1984	CALT	Retired	[123]
	Long March 3A		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	8,500 kg (18,700 lb)	2,600 kg (5,700 lb)	1,600 kg (3,500 lb) to HCO	1993		In service
	Long March 3B, 3B/E		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	11,500 kg (25,400 lb)	5,100 kg (11,200 lb)	3,300 kg (7,300 lb) to HCO 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) to GEO	1996		In service
	Long March 3C, 3C/E		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle		3,900 kg (8,600 lb)	2,400 kg (5,300 lb) to HCO	2008		In service
Long March 4	Long March 4A	China	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	4,000 kg (8,800 lb)		1,500 kg (3,300 lb) to Sun-synchronous orbit	1988	CALT	Retired	[124]
	Long March 4B		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	4,200 kg (9,300 lb)	1,500 kg (3,300 lb)	2,800 kg (6,200 lb) to SSO	1999		In service
	Long March 4C		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	4,200 kg (9,300 lb)	1,500 kg (3,300 lb)	2,800 kg (6,200 lb) to SSO	2006		In service
Long March 5		China	Heavy lift expendable launch vehicle	25,000 kg (55,000 lb) (200 km (120 mi) x 400 km (250 mi))	14,000 kg (31,000 lb)	8,200 kg (18,100 lb) to TLI	2016	CALT	In service	[125]
Long March 6		China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle		N/A	1,080 kg (2,380 lb) to 700 km (430 mi) (SSO)	2015	CALT	In service	[126]
Long March 7		China	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	13,500 kg (29,800 lb) (200 km (120 mi) x 400 km (250 mi))	5,500 kg (12,100 lb)		2016	CALT	In service	[127]
Long March 9[128]		China	Super heavy lift	140,000[129]	66,000[130]	50,000 to TLI[129] 44,000 to TMI[131]	2028[132]–2030[131]	CALT	In development
Long March 11		China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	700 kg (1,500 lb)		350 kg (770 lb) to 700 km (430 mi) (Sun-synchronous orbit)	2015	CALT	In service	[133]
Mu (rocket family)	Mu-3C	Japan	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	195 kg (430 lb)			1974	ISAS/Nissan/IHI	Retired	[134]
	Mu-3H		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	300 kg (660 lb)			1977		Retired
	Mu-3S		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	300 kg (660 lb)			1980		Retired
	Mu-3SII		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	770 kg (1,700 lb)			1985		Retired
	Mu-4S		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	180 kg (400 lb)			1971		Retired
	M-V		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	1,850 kg (4,080 lb)		1,300 kg (2,900 lb) to Polar LEO	1997		Retired
N (rocket family)	N-I	United States  Japan	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	1,200 kg (2,600 lb)	360 kg (790 lb)		1975	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	Retired	[135]
	N-II		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,000 kg (4,400 lb)	730 kg (1,610 lb)		1981		Retired	[136]
Paektusan-1		North Korea	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	700 kg (1,500 lb)			1998	KCST	Retired	[137]
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle	PSLV-G	India	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,200 kg (7,100 lb)	1,050 kg (2,310 lb)	1,600 kg (3,500 lb) to SSO	1993	ISRO	Retired	[138]
	PSLV-CA		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,100 kg (4,600 lb)		1,100 kg (2,400 lb) to SSO	2007		In service
	PSLV-XL		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,800 kg (8,400 lb)	1,300 kg (2,900 lb)	1,750 kg (3,860 lb) to SSO 1,350 kg (2,980 lb) to TMI	2008		In service
	PSLV-DL		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,100 kg (4,600 lb)		1,100 kg (2,400 lb) to SSO	2019		In service
	PSLV-QL		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,800 kg (8,400 lb)	1,300 kg (2,900 lb)	1,750 kg (3,860 lb) to SSO 1,350 kg (2,980 lb) to TMI	2019		In service
	PSLV-3S		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	500 kg (1,100 lb) (550 km (340 mi)			N/A		Concept only
Qonoos		Iran	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,500 kg (7,700 lb)	1,500 kg (3,300 lb)		2025 (Projected)	ISA	Under development
Reusable Launch Vehicle		India	TSTO Reusable launch system				2016 (Flight experiment)	ISRO	Under development	[139]
RPS-420	Pengorbitan-1	Indonesia	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	25 kg (55 lb)	N/A		TBD	LAPAN	Proposed	[140]
	Pengorbitan-2		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	50 kg (110 lb)	N/A		TBD		Proposed
S-Series (rocket family)	SS-520	Japan	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	100 kg (220 lb) (>300 km (190 mi)	N/A		1980	IHI Corporation	In service	[141]
Safir		Iran	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	65 kg (143 lb)	N/A		2008	ISA	In service	[142]
Satellite Launch Vehicle		India	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	40 kg (88 lb) (400 km (250 mi)	N/A		1979	ISRO	Retired	[143]
Shavit		Israel	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	800 kg (1,800 lb)	N/A		1988	Israel Aerospace Industries	In service	[144]
Simorgh		Iran	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	350 kg (770 lb)	N/A		2016 (Sub-orbital)	ISA	Under development	[145]
Small Satellite Launch Vehicle		India	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	500 kg (1,100 lb) (500 km (310 mi))	N/A	300 kg (660 lb)	2020 (Planned)	ISRO	Under development	[146]
TSLV		Republic of China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	50 kg (110 lb) (700 km (430 mi))	N/A		TBD	NSPO	Under development	[147][148]
Unha		North Korea	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	200 kg (440 lb) (465 km (289 mi) x 502 km (312 mi))	N/A		2009	KCST	In service	[149]
Unified Modular Launch Vehicle	ULV with 6 x S-13 boosters	India	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	4,500 kg (9,900 lb)	1,500 kg (3,300 lb)		No earlier than 2022	ISRO	Under development	[91][150][151]
	ULV with 2 x S-60 boosters		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	10,000 kg (22,000 lb)	3,000 kg (6,600 lb)		No earlier than 2022		Under development
	ULV with 2 x S-139 boosters		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	12,000 kg (26,000 lb)	4,500 kg (9,900 lb)		No earlier than 2022		Under development
	ULV with 2 x S-200 boosters		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	15,000 kg (33,000 lb)	6,000 kg (13,000 lb)		No earlier than 2022		Under development
	HLV variant		Heavy lift expendable launch vehicle	20,000 kg (44,000 lb)	10,000 kg (22,000 lb)		2020s		Under development
	SHLV variant		Super heavy lift expendable launch vehicle	41,300 kg (91,100 lb)-60,000 kg (130,000 lb)	16,300 kg (35,900 lb)		2020s		Under development
Uydu Fırlatma Sistemi		Turkey	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	Microsatellites (700 km (430 mi))	N/A		TBD	ROKETSAN	Under development	[152]
Yun Feng SLV		Republic of China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	200 kg (440 lb) (500 km (310 mi)	N/A		TBD	NCSIST	Under development	[148]

Orbital Launch Frequency

2001-10

	2001[153]	2002[154]	2003[155]	2004[156]	2005[157]	2006[158]	2007[159]	2008[160]	2009[161]	2010[162]	Total
China	1	5	7	8	5	6	9	11	6	15	73
Japan	1	3	3	-	2	6	2	1	3	2	23
India	2	1	2	1	1	1	3	3	2	3	19
Israel	-	1	-	1	-	-	1	-	-	1	4
Iran	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	-	2
South Korea	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	2
North Korea	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1
Total	4	10	12	10	8	13	15	16	14	22	124

2011-18

	2011[163]	2012[164]	2013[165]	2014[166]	2015[167]	2016[168]	2017[169]	2018[170]	Total
China	19	19	15	16	19	22	18	39	167
India	3	2	4	5	5	7	5	7	38
Japan	3	2	3	4	4	4	7	6	33
Iran	1	3	1	-	1	-	1	-	7
North Korea	-	2	-	-	-	1	-	-	3
Israel	-	-	-	1	-	1	-	-	2
South Korea	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	1
Total	26	28	24	26	29	35	31	52	251

Human Spaceflight

Legend

  Successful programs

  Planned, defined, funded and scheduled

  Planned and proposed with no clear deadline or funding or on hold

  Abandoned or cancelled

Maiden manned spacefaring attempts by country

Country	Program	Agency engaged	First orbital manned launch
			Spacecraft	Term(s) for space traveler	First human(s) launched	Date	Launch system
People's Republic of China	Project 714 (1968–72)	Chinese space program	Shuguang spacecraft (Intended)	宇航员 (in Chinese) yǔhángyuán 航天员 (in Chinese) hángtiānyuán	N/A	N/A	Long March 2A (Intended)
	Project 863 (1976–80)	Chinese space program	Piloted FSW spacecraft (Intended)		N/A	N/A	Long March 2 (Intended)
Japan	HOPE-X (late 1980s-2003)	National Space Development Agency of Japan	HOPE-X spaceplane (Intended)	宇宙飛行士 (in Japanese) uchūhikōshi or アストロノート astoronoto	N/A	N/A	H-IIA (Intended)
Ba'athist Iraq	... (1989-2001)	Space Research Center, Baghdad	N/A	رجل فضاء (in Arabic) rajul faḍāʼ رائد فضاء (in Arabic) rāʼid faḍāʼ ملاح فضائي (in Arabic) mallāḥ faḍāʼiy	N/A	N/A	Tammouz 2 or 3 (Intended)
People's Republic of China	Project 921 (1992–present)	China National Space Administration	Shenzhou spacecraft and Tiangong space laboratory	宇航员 (in Chinese) yǔhángyuán 航天员 (in Chinese) hángtiānyuán taikonaut("太空人" tàikōng rén)	杨利伟 (Yang Liwei)	2003-10-15	Long March 2F, Long March 3
People's Republic of China	Project 869 (1990s)	China National Space Administration	Tianjiao-1 or Chang Cheng-1 (Great Wall-1) winged spaceplanes (Intended)	宇航员 (in Chinese) yǔhángyuán 航天员 (in Chinese) hángtiānyuán taikonaut("太空人" tàikōng rén)	N/A	N/A	869 reusable shuttle system (Intended)
Japan	Kankoh-maru (1993-1997,2005)	Japanese Rocket Society, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	Kankoh-maru reusable shuttle system (Intended)	宇宙飛行士 (in Japanese) uchūhikōshi or アストロノート astoronoto	N/A	N/A	Kankoh-maru reusable shuttle system (Intended)
Japan	... (2001-2003)	National Space Development Agency of Japan	Fuji spacecraft (Intended)	宇宙飛行士 (in Japanese) uchūhikōshi or アストロノート astoronoto	N/A	N/A	H-IIA (Intended)
People's Republic of China	Project 921-2 (2020–present)	China National Space Administration	X-11 reused spacecraft, Tianzhou non-reentry and Shenzhou Cargo reentry cargo spacecrafts and permanent modular Chinese Space Station	宇航员 (in Chinese) yǔhángyuán 航天员 (in Chinese) hángtiānyuán taikonaut("太空人" tàikōng rén)	TBD	TBD	Long March 3, Long March 5
India	Indian Human Spaceflight Programme (2007–present)	Human Space Flight Centre (ISRO)	Gaganyaan spacecraft and small space laboratory	Vyomanaut/Gaganaut	TBA	December 2021 (Planned) Before 2022-08-15 (Scheduled)	GSLV Mk III
People's Republic of China	Project 921-3 (2000s–present)	China National Space Administration	Shenlong spaceplane	宇航员 (in Chinese) yǔhángyuán 航天员 (in Chinese) hángtiānyuán taikonaut("太空人" tàikōng rén)	TBD	TBD	921-3 RLV (or Tengyun either HTS maglev launch assist) reusable shuttle system
Japan	... (2008–present)	Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency	HTV-based spacecraft and small space laboratory	宇宙飛行士 (in Japanese) uchūhikōshi or アストロノート astoronoto	TBD	TBD	H-IIB
Iran	Iranian manned space program (2005-2017, on hold)	Iranian Space Agency	Class E Kavoshgar spacecraft and small space laboratory		TBD	TBD	TBD
North Korea	DPRK space program (2010s-present)	National Aerospace Development Administration	Spacecraft and small space laboratory		TBD	TBD	Unha 9, 20

China

Main articles: Shenzhou program, Tiangong program, and Chinese large modular space station

First manned spacefaring

Shenzhou spacecraft

Shenzhou spacecraft and Tiangong space laboratory

China was first Asian country and third in the world after USSR and USA to send humans in space. As the Space Race between the two superpowers culminated to human landing on the Moon, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai decided on 14 July 1967 that the PRC should not be left behind, and therefore initiated China's own crewed space program. The top-secret Project 714 aimed to put two people into space by 1973 with the Shuguang spacecraft. Nineteen PLAAF pilots were selected for this goal in March 1971. The Shuguang-1 spacecraft to be launched with the CZ-2A rocket was designed to carry a crew of two. The program was officially cancelled on 13 May 1972 for economic reasons, though the internal politics of the Cultural Revolution likely motivated the closure.

The short-lived second crewed program was based on the successful implementation of landing technology (third in the World after USSR and United States) by FSW satellites. It was announced a few times in 1978 with the open publishing of some details including photos, but then was abruptly canceled in 1980. It has been argued that the second crewed program was created solely for propaganda purposes, and was never intended to produce results.[171]

In 1992 under Project 921-1, authorization and funding was given for the first phase, which was a plan to launch a crewed Shenzhou spacecraft. The Shenzhou program had four uncrewed test flights and two crewed missions. The first one was Shenzhou 1 on 20 November 1999. On 9 January 2001 Shenzhou 2 launched carrying test animals. Shenzhou 3 and Shenzhou 4 were launched in 2002, carrying test dummies. Following these was the successful Shenzhou 5, China's first crewed mission in space on 15 October 2003, which carried Yang Liwei in orbit for 21 hours and made China the third nation to launch a human into orbit.

The second phase of the Project 921 started with Shenzhou 7, China's first spacewalk mission. Then, two crewed missions were planned to the first Chinese space laboratory. The PRC initially designed the Shenzhou spacecraft with docking technologies imported from Russia, therefore compatible with the International Space Station (ISS). On 29 September 2011, China launched Tiangong 1 Space Laboratory. This target module is intended to be the first step to testing the technology required for a planned space station. On 31 October 2011, a Long March 2F rocket lifted the Shenzhou 8 uncrewed spacecraft which docked twice with the Tiangong 1 module. The Shenzhou 9 craft took off on 16 June 2012 with a crew of 3. It successfully docked with the Tiangong-1 laboratory on 18 June 2012, at 06:07 UTC, marking China's first crewed spacecraft docking.[172]

Further continual

Chinese large modular space station

A larger permanent manned modular Chinese Space Station under Project 921-2 would be the third and last phase of LEO manned spacefaring. This will be a modular design with an eventual weight of around 60 tons, to be completed sometime before 2020. The first section, designated Tiangong 3, is scheduled for launch after Tiangong 2.[173] New station will supports by new X-11 reused manned, Tianzhou non-reentry and Shenzhou Cargo reentry cargo spacecrafts. First uncrewed flight of X-11 was spacecraft performed on 5 May 2020.

PRC aims for manned moon landing in the 2030s.

Also reusable shuttle system with manned winged spaceplane orbiter is under projects. First such Tianjiao-1 and Chang Cheng-1 (Great Wall-1) systems were considered in 1980s-1990s under Project 869. Now Project 921-3 suggests Reusable Launch Vehicle with Shenlong orbiter. As alternative, Tengyun two wing-staged reusable shuttle system and HTS maglev launch assist space shuttle was proposed.

India

Main articles: Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, Human Space Flight Centre, and Gaganyaan

Recovery of the CARE module

First manned spacefaring

Just a few days after China said that it would send a human into orbit in the second half of 2003, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee publicly urged his country's scientists to work towards sending a man to the Moon.[174]

Human Spaceflight Programme (HSP[175]) was officially started in 2007[176] by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to develop the technology needed to launch crewed orbital spacecraft into low Earth orbit.[177] To demonstrate the ability of recovering crewed orbiters, SRE-1 was conducted in same year.[178] GSLV Mk III launch system with ability to put 10 tonnes in LEO, sufficient to carry crewed spacecraft, was developed and work on ISRO Orbital Vehicle initiated. In December 2014, a Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment was conducted on sub-orbital flight of GSLV Mk III.[179]

The Mysore-based Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) has developed dried and packaged food for astronauts. The food laboratory has developed around 70 varieties of dehydrated and processed food items that have undergone strict procedures to zero-in on micro bacterial and macro bacterial nutrients. Special care has to be taken in the packing and the food item should be of limited weight but at the same time should be high in nutritional qualities.[180]

In July 2018, a pad abort test was conducted to validate crew escape system.[181] Parachute tests are scheduled before end of 2019 and multiple in-flight abort tests are planned starting mid 2020.[91]

On 15 August (Indian independence day) 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that before India's 75th independence day in 2022, country would have sent humans in the space. Crew module mission was renamed as Gaganyaan.[182] India is expected to send 3 humans in LEO on Gaganyaan spacecraft for 3–4 days on board a GSLV Mk III.[183]

Before announcement in August 2018, human spaceflight was not the priority for ISRO, though most of the required capability for it had been realised.[184] Conducting a manned spaceflight before 2022 has become highest priority after PM's announcement.[185] Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) was set up in end January 2019 to coordinate implementation of the mission.[186] A third launch pad is under construction at Satish Dhawan Space Centre with abilities to support heavy lift launchers and manned Spaceflight while the second one is being augmented with similar systems to realise mission on time. India's crewed orbital vehicle will have two uncrewed flights in end-2020 and mid-2021 before actually taking humans on board in end-2021. Indian astronauts will be dubbed as Vyomanauts or Gaganauts. Selected by Indian institute of Aerospace medicine, a team of seven test pilots from Indian Air Force are undergoing training in Russia per the memorandum of understanding with Glavkosmos, out of which 4 will be ready for India's first manned space mission.[91]

As of December 2019, India's Department of Space maintains the scheduled date of December 2021 to conduct human spaceflight.[187]

Further continual

India plans to deploy a 20 tonne space station as a follow-up programme of the Gaganyaan mission. On 13 June 2019, ISRO Chief K. Sivan announced the plan, saying that India's space station will be deployed in 5–7 years after completion of Gaganyaan project. He also said that India will not join the International Space Station program. The space station would be capable of harbouring a crew for 15–20 days at a time. It is expected to be placed in a low Earth orbit of 400 km altitude and be capable of harbouring three humans. Final approval is expected to be given to the programme by the Indian government only after the completion of the Gaganyaan mission.[188][189][190]

ISRO is planning to conduct SPADEX (Space Docking Experiment) in 2020 to mature technologies related to orbital rendezvous, docking, formation flying and remote robotic arm operations, with scope of applications in human spaceflight, in-space satellite servicing and other proximity operations that will be critical for space station operations.[191]

The agency intends to conduct a crewed lunar landing as well in future.[192][193]

Japan

Since late 1980s National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) developed HOPE-X small manned winged spaceplane that would be launch by H-IIA vehicle. Despite of successfully flown sub-scale test prototypes, the project was eventually cancelled in 2003 in favour of participation in International Space Station by Kibō Japanese Experiment Module and H-II Transfer Vehicle cargo spacecraft.

As alternative to HOPE-X NASDA in 2001 proposed Fuji manned capsuled spacecraft for independent or ISS flights but project was not adopted.

Earlier in 1993-1997 Japanese Rocket Society, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries proposed Kankoh-maru proposed vertical takeoff and landing single-stage manned of cargo reusable launch system. Later in 2005 this system was proposed for space tourism.

Since 2008 Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency developes H-II Transfer Vehicle cargo spacecraft based manned spacecraft and Kibō Japanese Experiment Module based small space laboratory.

Iran

Iran expressed for the first time its intention to send a human to space during the summit of Soviet and Iranian Presidents in 1990. Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev reached an agreement in principle with erstwhile President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to make joint Soviet-Iranian manned flights to Mir space station but agreement was never realized after dissolution of USSR.

Iranian News Agency claimed on 21 November 2005, that the Iranians have a manned space program along with plans for the development of a spacecraft and a space laboratory. [194] Iran Aerospace Industries Organization (IAIO) head Reza Taghipour on 20 August 2008, revealed Iran intends to launch a manned mission into space within a decade. This goal was described as the country's top priority for the next 10 years, in order to make Iran the leading space power of the region by 2021.[195][196]

In August 2010, President Ahmadinejad announced that Iran's first astronaut should be sent into space on board an Iranian spacecraft by no later than 2019.[197][198] A sub-orbital spaceflight was conducted back in 2016.[199]

On 17 February 2015, Iran unveiled a mock prototype of Iranian manned spaceship that would capable of taking one astronaut into space.[200] According to Iran's Space Administrator, this program was put on hold in 2017 indefinitely.[201]

According to unofficial Chinese internet sources, an Iranian participation in the future Chinese space station program has been under discussion.[202] Currently Iran doesn't have a medium lift rocket similar to Long March 2F, GSLV Mk III and H-IIA. Therefore, sending a human to space is unlikely by Iran due to the lack of equipment.[203]

Iraq

According to a press-release of Iraqi News Agency of 5 December 1989 about the first (and last) test of the Tammouz space launcher, Iraq intended to develop crewed space facilities by the end of the century. These plans were put to an end by the Gulf War of 1991 and the economic hard times that followed.

Solar System exploration

Main article: List of Solar System probes

Solar System exploration and manned spaceflights are major space technologies in the public eye. Since Sakigake, the first interplanetary probe in Asia, was launched in 1985, Japan has completed the most planetary exploration, but other nations are catching up.

Moon race

Main article: List of missions to the Moon

The Moon is thought to be rich in Helium-3, which could one day be used in nuclear fusion power plants to fuel future energy demands in Asia. All three main Asian space powers plan to send people to the Moon in the distant future and have already sent lunar probes.

Asian lunar exploration probes
Mission name	Type	Year	Vehicle	Outcome
Hiten (MUSES-A)	Flyby/Orbiter	1990	Mu-3S-II	Success
Hagoromo	Orbiter			Failure
Lunar-A	Orbiter	2004 (intended) Never launched	M5	Cancelled and integrated into Russia's Luna-Glob.
SELENE (VRAD)	Orbiter	2007	H-IIA 202	Success
Chang'e 1	Orbiter	2007	Long March 3A	Success
Chandrayaan-1	Orbiter	2008	PSLV-XL	Success
Chang'e 2	Orbiter	2010	Long March 3C	Success
Chang'e 3	Orbiter Lander Rover	2013	Long March 3B	Success
Chang'e 5-T1	Flyby	2014	Long March 3C	Success
Chang'e 4	Orbiters Lander Rover	2018-19	Long March 4C and Long March 3B	Success
Chandrayaan-2	Orbiter Lander Rover	2019	GSLV MkIII	Partial success
Chandrayaan-3	Lander Rover	Q2 2021	GSLV MkIII	Planned
Chang'e 5	Sample return	Q4 2020	Long March 5	Planned
Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter	Orbiter	December 2020	Falcon 9	Planned
SELENE-2	Orbiter Lander Rover	2020s (intended)	H-IIA (intended)	Cancelled
SLIM	Lander	January 2022	H-IIA 202	Planned
DESTINY+	Flyby	2022	Epsilon	Planned
Chang'e 6	Sample return	2023-24	Long March 5	Planned
Chang'e 7	Lander	2023	TBD	Planned
Lunar Polar Exploration Mission	Orbiter Lander Rover	2024	H3	Proposed
Chang'e 8	Lander	2026	TBD	Proposed
North Korean mission to Moon	TBD	2026	Unha-20	Proposed

Probing the Moon

Japan was the first Asian country to launch a lunar probe. The Hiten (Japanese: "flying angel") spacecraft (known before the launch as MUSES-A), built by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science of Japan, was launched on 24 January 1990. In many ways, the mission did not go as was planned. Kaguya, the second Japanese lunar orbiter spacecraft, was launched on 14 September 2007.

China launched its first lunar probe, Chang'e-1, on 24 October 2007 and successfully entered lunar orbit on 5 November 2007.

India launched its first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1, on 22 October 2008 and successfully entered its final lunar orbit on 2 November 2008. The mission was considered a major success and the probe detected water on the lunar surface.

Moon landings

Main article: Moon landing

The first confirmed Moon landing from Asia was Hiten's mission in 1993. An intentional hard landing at the end of the mission, some pictures of the lunar surface were taken before impact.[204] Hiten was not designed as a Moon lander and had few scientific instruments for lunar exploration. The next Japanese Moon landing program was the LUNAR-A, developed from 1992. Although the LUNAR-A orbiter was cancelled, its penetrators are integrated into the Russian Luna-Glob program, which was scheduled to launch in 2011. The penetrators are "relatively" hard landers,[205] but they are not expected to be destroyed at impact.

The first Asian probe that was part of a lunar landing program was the Indian Moon Impact Probe (MIP) released from Chandrayaan-1 in 2008. MIP was a hard lander and was designed to move the ground under for research purposes. MIP was designed to be destroyed at impact. Its instruments performed lunar observations to within 25 minutes before impact. The landing test was to be applied to future soft landings such as Chandrayaan-2, planned for 2019. However, following successful orbital insertion, ISRO lost the contact with lander-rover module which was supposed to conduct soft landing on moon and only limited success could be accomplished. After accomplishment of its first manned mission, India has proposed space stations and manned missions to Moon in long term.[192][206]

The Chinese Chang'e-1 spacecraft also achieved a systematic hard landing at the end of its mission in 2009, when China became the sixth country to reach the lunar surface. One purpose of the lander was to pre-test for future soft landings. A Chinese lunar soft lander is achieved with the Chang'e-3 mission. With following Chang'e 4, PRC became world's first country to land on the far side of the Moon. China also aims to undertake a manned Moon landing by the late 2020s.[207]

Exploration of the major planets

Japanese interplanetary probes have been mostly limited to Small Solar System bodies such as comets and asteroids. Japan was world's first country to launch a spacecraft on asteroids. JAXA's Nozomi probe was launched in 1998, but contact was lost with the probe due to electrical failures before visiting the planet Mars. The second Japanese probe for the planet Venus, Akatsuki, was launched in 2010. Akatsuki entered orbit around Venus on 7 December 2015. Together with European Space Agency, JAXA has launched Mio spacecraft to for mapping magnetic field of Mercury. Spacecraft will have flyby through Venus as well.

Chinese scientists expect that China will take 20 years to launch independent planetary probes.[208] The Chinese manned Mars exploration program is planned for around 2050 by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.[209] After failed attempt to launch Yinghuo-1, China is planning another Mars mission with an orbiter as well as rover. Moreover, China plans to send an orbiter to Venus around 2025.[210] China has also been planning an orbiter to Jupiter.[211]

India has successfully launched Mars Orbiter Mission on 5 November 2013. It reached Mars in September 2014. India has become the only country to successfully insert a satellite into Martian orbit in its maiden attempt; it also became the first Asian country to achieve this feat. India is planning another mission to Mars in the 2020s.[212] India has schedules to launch Aditya-L1 near Sun to study Solar corona[213] and developing Shukrayaan-1 spacecraft to Venus.[214] India is also studying exploration missions to asteroids, Jupiter and to exo-planets and beyond solar system like American Voyager 1.[215]

Asian interplanetary exploration probes
Mission name	Destination	Type	Year	Vehicle	Outcome
Nozomi	Mars	Orbiter	2003	M-V	Failure
Hayabusa	Asteroid: 25143 Itokawa	Sample return	2005-7	M-V	Success
Akatsuki (PLANET-C)	Venus	Orbiter	2010	H-IIA 202	Failure (Failed orbiter insertion)
			2015		Success
IKAROS	Venus	Flyby	2010		Success
Shin'en	Venus	Flyby	2010		Failure
Yinghuo-1	Mars	Orbiter	2011	Zenit-2M	Failure
Chang'e 2	Asteroid: 4179 Toutatis	Flyby	2012	Long March 3C	Success
Mars Orbiter Mission	Mars	Orbiter	2013-14	PSLV-XL	Success
Hayabusa2	Asteroid: 162173 Ryugu	Sample return	2014-20	H-IIA 202	en route
PROCYON	Asteroid: 2000 DP107	Flyby	2016	H-IIA 202	Failure
Mio	Mercury	Orbiter	2018-24	Ariane 5 ECA	en route
Tianwen-1	Mars	Orbiter/Rover	2020-21	Long March 5	en route
Hope Mars Mission	Mars	Orbiter	2020-21	H-IIA	en route
Aditya-L1	Sun	Orbiter	2020	PSLV-XL	Planned
DESTINY+	Asteroid: 3200 Phaethon	Flyby	2022-26	Epsilon	Planned
Shukrayaan-1	Venus	Orbiter and aerobots	2023	GSLV MkIII	Planned
MMX	Mars	Orbiter	2024-2025	TBD	Planned
	Phobos	Sample return			Planned
Mars Orbiter Mission 2	Mars	Orbiter Lander Rover	TBD	GSLV MkII or GSLV MkIII	Planned

Budgets

Agency	Country	Budget (in millions of US $)	Year	Ref(s)
China National Space Administration	China	11000	2018	[216]
Indian Space Research Organisation	India	1760	2020	[217]
Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency	Japan	1710	2017	[218]
Korean Aerospace Research Institute	South Korea	583	2016	[219]
Iranian Space Agency and Iranian Space Research Center	Iran	393	2018	[220]
Israel Space Agency	Israel	48
Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission	Pakistan	43	2019	[221]
Philippine Space Agency	Philippines	38	2019	[222]
Turkish Space Agency	Turkey	4.3	2019	[223]

See also

• Space Race
• List of government space agencies
• Asian Century

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External links

• Japan's Evolving Space Program, Comparison of Japan's program with the rest of Asia (September 2011)
• Asian Space Race Accelerates, Comparison of Indian, Chinese & Japanese space programs in different aspects (November 2013)