Japan's first launch site and home of its first orbital success — the Osumi satellite in 1970, making Japan the fourth country to reach orbit independently. The Hayabusa asteroid-sample-return missions launched from here.
A launch site's latitude determines which orbits are achievable and at what fuel cost. Uchinoura at 31.2516°N sets the following constraints:
From 31.2516°N, Uchinoura can reach 4 Starlink inclination shells: 43°, 53°, 70°, 97.6° SSO (polar).
Trains launched to higher inclinations are visible from more of the world. A 97° SSO train from Uchinoura would be visible at virtually every latitude; a 53° train is visible from latitudes up to ±51° (primarily) — mostly tropical and subtropical regions. In the hours after launch — before satellites raise their orbits — a tight train of 20–60 bright dots crosses the sky roughly every 90 minutes. Use OrbitalNodes' Starlink tracker for exact train pass times.
Uchinoura Space Centre is located at 31.2516°N, 131.0819°E in Kagoshima, Japan. It is owned and operated by JAXA. The site has conducted approximately 30 orbital launches since its first in 1970.
Current vehicles operating from Uchinoura Space Centre include Epsilon, SS-520. Primary customers are JAXA, launching Scientific missions, small satellites, deep-space probes.
At 31.2516°N, Uchinoura's minimum achievable inclination is 31.3° (due-east launch). The ISS at 51.6° is reachable with a dogleg manoeuvre. The site can reach orbits between roughly 31° and 98° inclination.
Yes — Uchinoura Space Centre hosts a moderate cadence of approximately 2 orbital launches per year. Check the operator's website for public viewing arrangements and launch windows.
Satellites regularly launched from Uchinoura include Scientific missions, small satellites, deep-space probes. The ISS was supplied or crew-launched from sites at similar latitudes. Use OrbitalNodes to track any visible satellite in real time.
Uchinoura at 31.2516°N was positioned to access the full range of low-Earth orbits including the ISS corridor. The site has been operational since 1970.
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