UAE mission to the Red Planet will take off from Japanese green haven
▶ Tanegashima Island mixes rocket launches, space technology and natural beauty,
About 33,000 people on the island will watch the first Arab interplanetary mission take off
Tanegashima Space Centre was founded more than 50 years ago and since then residents of the Japanese island have been able to watch rockets soar into the sky.
The space centre is nestled in the heart of nature, surrounded by lush mountains and emerald waters, so when a rocket blasts off, it is a stellar sight.
The picturesque location also attracts hundreds of tourists from around the world.
I visited the island in December to cross it off my bucket list and hoped to return this month to cover the launch of the UAE’s Mars Hope probe, but Covid-19 travel restrictions meant that was not possible.
On Wednesday, the 33,000 people who live on Tanegashima can watch the first Arab interplanetary mission take off.
Authorities closed public viewing events because of the outbreak but the 53-metre rocket carrying the Hope probe will still be visible from afar on the 445-square-kilometre island.
A live stream of the launch will also allow people to watch the launch from the comfort of their homes.
About 175 launches have taken place on the island, making space exploration part of the lifestyle for residents.
A UAE mission was among those to take off from Tanegashima, with the KhalifaSat satellite launched in 2018.
Kazumichi Takai, 54, manages a drone company and said he watched every launch on the island.
“I’m glad the UAE chose a Japanese rocket for the launch. We’ll be watching from a distance,” he said.
Kaori Habu, 43, was born and raised on the island and said she looked forward to watching rockets take off in the evening because they illuminated the sky.
The Hope probe will take off at 12.51am UAE time – 6.51am on Tanegashima – if there are no delays caused by unstable weather.
A Japanese H-IIA rocket, a product of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, will carry the probe out of Earth’s atmosphere.
“We are grateful that many countries are launching from Tanegashima,” said Ms Habu, who works as an administrator.
“People will get to know our island because of the rocket launches.”
Tanegashima resident Reiko Kawagoe, 44, said the launches inspired her to create a brand of food for astronauts.
She said she was in talks with Japan’s space agency, Jaxa, to make her product available to their astronauts.
“I made spicy Indian curry for the astronauts using the items we have here on the island, such as brown sugar, sea salt and chicken,” said Ms Kawagoe, a part-time yoga instructor.
“It is exciting to see countries in the Middle East also getting involved in space.”
Tourists can immerse themselves in the island’s culture of cosmic exploration even if there is no launch scheduled during their visit.
It became obvious during my visit last year that space is a recurring theme on Tanegashima.
The plastic wrappers on water bottles were decorated with images of astronauts and rockets and most hotels had framed photos of rocket launches on the wall.
The space centre was the main tourist spot on the island and visitors were able to take a free tour of the site and visit the museum.
The centre closed when Japan introduced measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Before the pandemic, tourists were able to buy souvenirs, such as model rockets and astronaut food.
I could not leave without buying a dehydrated version of takoyaki, or octopus dumplings, created for Japanese astronauts.
A drive around the island also allows you to discover how space travel and rocket launches inspired residents, with several model rockets on display.
Like most launch sites, Tanegashima is a complicated place for tourists to reach.
I took a flight from Dubai to Osaka, then to Kagoshima and Tanegashima.
The island’s airport is about a 25-minute drive from the space centre on the south side of the island.