Deshdrohi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Deshdrohi

Theatrical poster

Directed by

Deepak Tiwari

Produced by

Kamaal Rashid Khan

Written by

Kamaal Rashid Khan

Starring

Kamaal Rashid Khan

Krishna Abhishek
Hrishitaa Bhatt
Gracy Singh
Zulfi Syed
Aman Verma

Music by
Release dates
Running time

Nikhil - Vinay

14 November 2008
139 minutes

Country

India

Language

Hindi

Deshdrohi is a Bollywood Hindi film. It was produced by Kamaal Rashid Khan. It starred Kamaal
Rashid Khan with Krishna Abhishek, Hrishitaa Bhatt, Gracy Singh and Zulfi Syed. Internet Movie
Database (IMDb) rating is 1.7/10.[1]
Contents
[hide]

1 Plot

2 Controversy

3 References

4 External links

Plot[edit]
The theme of the film Desh Drohi consists of politics, prostitution, pimp business, and corruption.
At the start of the film a man named Raja arrives in Mumbai from uttar Pradesh searching for a
watchmans job, after leaving his father and both neighbour and sweetheart, Neha, behind in his
village in uttar Pradesh.
In Mumbai Raja meets Shekhar,the gangster, who works as a watchman and a pimp, and Sonia,
who works for Baba Kadam, a drug dealer. At one point Raja helps Sonia escape from an attack by
a group working for another drug dealer called Rajan Nayak, the enemy of Baba Kadam. The two
eventually fall in love.
After realizing that living in Mumbai is particularly difficult for North Indians, Raja petitions Shrivastav,
a North Indian politician who exploits common people for his political career, for help. The drug mafia
of Mumbai city is assisted by politicians and the media want to reveal the corruption prevalent in the
city.
Due to his involvement, Raja is marked for death by Rajan Nayak, who contracts a police inspector
to kill both him and Sonia. However he fails and is killed. The police pursue Raja and Sonia, who are
also running from Rajan Nayak. Raja attempts to get help from Shrivastav, to no avail, and even
Sonia's boss, Baba Kadam, abandons the pair.
Pushed to the limit, Raja resolves to kill all involved, in which he is helped by Inspector Rohit
Raghav, the new husband of Raja's village sweetheart, to kill Srivastva.

How Raja and Sonia will escape law and teach the criminals a lesson is the story of the film. [2]

Controversy[edit]
There were accusations that the movie was cashing in on the 2008 attacks on North Indians in
Maharashtra. The head of the Mumbai office of Central Board of Film Certification has opined that
the movie has scenes that were derogatory to a particular community.[3] Maharashtra Navnirman
Sena has expressed their protests against the movie. The Mumbai police served a notice for a
special screening to find any objectionable content that might trigger unrest. Due to the protests and
problems with exhibitors, the release date of the movie was postponed by a week from the original
date of November 7.[4][5][6] The movie was released on 14 November, except in Maharashtra, where it
was banned by the state government for 60 days under the Bombay Cinema Regulation Act. The
producers of the film petitioned the Bombay High Court to lift the ban on the movie.[7] After a twomonth ban it released on 23 January 2009 in Maharashtra.

Karna
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about a hero in the Hindu epic, the Mahbhrata. For other uses, see Karna
(disambiguation).

Karna

Karna in battle

Spouse

Vrushali

(s)

Childre

Vrishasena, Chitrasena, Satyasena, Sushena,

Shatrunjaya, Dvipata, Banasena, Prasena and

Vrishaketu

Parent(
s)

Adhiratha (father)
Radha (mother)

Karna (Sanskrit: , IAST transliteration: Karn a), originally known as Vasusena, is one of the
central characters in the Hindu epic Mahbhrata, from ancient India. He was the King
of Anga (present day Bhagalpur and Munger). Karna was one of the greatest warrior whose martial
exploits are recorded in the Mahbhrata and the only warrior believed to be able to defeat Arjuna in
battle, an admiration expressed by Lord Krishnaand Bhishma within the body of this work.[1] Karna
was the only warrior in the Mahabharata who single handedly successfully conducted Digvijay
Yatra,conquering all kings in every direction in order to establish Duryodhana as the emperor of the
world and to conduct the Vaishnava sacrifice.[2]
Karna was the son of Surya (a solar deity) and Kunti. He was born to Kunti before her marriage with
Pandu. Karna was the closest friend of Duryodhana and fought on his behalf against
the Pandavas (his brothers) in the famous Kurukshetra war. Karna fought against misfortune
throughout his life and kept his word under all circumstances. Many admire him for his courage and
generosity. It is believed that Karna founded the city ofKarnal, in present Haryana.
[3]
Karna,Mahabali,Harishchandra are the three most famous personalities in Hinduism based on the
merits they earned by giving charity.They are often quoted for their sacrifice,courage,charity,valour
and selflessness they exhibited for helping a fellow being
Contents
[hide]

1 Etymology

2 Story
o

2.1 Birth, education and curses

2.2 Friendship with Duryodhana

2.3 Hostilities with Pandavas

2.4 Prelude to war

2.5 Kurukshetra war

2.6 Karna Parva

2.7 Ascension to svarga

3 Karna's family

4 Themes and analysis

5 Secondary literature and media

o

5.1 Literature

5.2 Film and theater

6 In popular culture

7 References
o

7.1 Notes

7.2 Bibliography

8 Further reading

9 External links

Etymology
The name he became renowned in the epic was Karna meaning the cutter or peeler of his own
skin/natural armor.
Karna's other names according to Mahabharata are :

Radheya - Son of Radha

Vaikarthana - The one who gave away his impenetrable natural armour & earrings to Indra.
Also mean the one who is related to or belonging to the Hindu solar deity, Surya
Rashmirathi - One who rides the chariot of light

Vasusena - Birth name meaning the one born with wealth,ie, golden Kavacha Kundala
(natural armour and ear rings).

Suryaputra - Son of Surya

Parashurama Shishya - Disciple of Parashurama

Angaraj - King of Anga

Vijaya Dhari - One who wields the celestial bow Vijaya

Adhirathi - Son of Adhiratha

Daanveer - The hero possessing undying charitable nature;

Daanshoor - One who fought like a true warrior

Vrisha - One who is truthful in speech, engaged in penances, observant of vows, kind even
to enemies. Vrisha also means bull, and Karna was referred to as bull among warriors by Vyasa)

Souta - Son of Suta or belonging to charioteer caste

Kaunteya - Son of Kunti

Story
Birth, education and curses

Surya, father of Karna, the Hindu Sun god.

As a young woman Kunti, the princess of the Kunti Kingdom, had been granted a boon by
sage Durvasa to be able to invoke any deity to give her a child. Eager to test the power, while still
unmarried, she called upon the solar deity Surya and was handed a son Karna wearing armour
(Kavacha) and a pair of earrings (Kundala). Afraid of being an unwed mother Kunti, placed the baby
in a basket and set him afloat on a river. The child was found by Adhiratha, a charioteer of King
Dhritarashtra of Hastinapur. Adhiratha and his wife Radha raised the boy as their own son and
named him Vasusena. He also came to be known as Radheya, the son of Radha.
Karna became interested in the art of warfare and approached Dronacharya, an established teacher
who taught the Kuru princes. But he refused to take Karna as his student, since Karna was not
a Kshatriya. After being refused by Dronacharya, Karna with his brother Shona's help started his
own's education and appointed the sun god as his guru. But, Karna wanted to learn advanced skills
of archery and hence he decided to learn from Parashurama, Dronacharya's own guru.[4]
As Parshurama only taught to Brahmins, Karna appeared before him as a Brahmin. Parashurama
accepted him and trained him to such a point that he declared Karna to be equal to himself in the art
of warfare and archery. On a day towards the end of his training Karna happened to offer
Parashurama his lap so his guru could rest his head and nap. But while Parashurama was asleep, a
bee stung Karna's thigh and despite the pain, Karna did not move, so as not to disturb his guru's
sleep.In some versions,Lord Indra became afraid of the fighting prowess of Karna and he himself
took the form of a bee and stung Karna's thigh in order to benefit his son Arjuna.[5] With blood oozing
from his wound, Parashurama woke up at once deduced that Karna was not a Brahmin.
Parashurama, who had sworn to teach Brahmins only, laid curse upon Karna that he would forget all
the knowledge required to wield the divine weapon Brahmanda astra, at the moment of his greatest

need. Upon Karna's pleading, Parshurama gave him the celestial weapon called Bhargavastra,
along with his personal bow calledVijaya (bow), for being such a diligent student.
Karna was also cursed by a Brahmin for killing his cow while practising his skills with bow and
arrows. The Brahmin got angry and cursed him that he would become helpless in the same way the
innocent cow had become, by his chariot wheels getting stuck in the ground. [6] Folklore from Andhra
Pradesh further relates that Karna once encountered a child who was crying over her pot of
spiltghee. On asking her the reason for her dismay, she stated that she feared that her stepmother
would be angry over her carelessness. Refusing to take new ghee from Karna, the child insisted that
she wanted the same ghee. Taking pity on her, Karna took the soil mixed with ghee in his fist and
squeezed it with all his might, so that the ghee dripped back into the pot. During this process, Karna
heard the agonized voice of a woman. When he opened his fist, he realized that the voice was that
of Bhoomidevi, the Earth goddess. She furiously chastised Karna for inflicting enormous pain on
Mother Earth for the sake of a mere child and cursed him that at a very crucial moment in battle, his
chariot wheel would be trapped as tightly as he had held that fistful of soil. [citation needed]

Friendship with Duryodhana

The coronation of Karna

To display the skills of the Kuru princes, guru Dronacharya arranged a friendly tournament. His
student Arjuna, third of the Pandava brothers, was shown to be a particularly gifted archer. Karna
arrived at this tournament uninvited and surpassing Arjuna's feats, challenged him to a
duel. Kripacharya refused Karna his duel, asking first for his clan and kingdom; for according to the
rules of duelling, only a prince could challenge Arjuna to a duel and due to his low birth, Karna was
not allowed to fight Arjuna.He was further insulted by Bhima by comparing him to a stray dog, for his
mixed caste and lineage. This incident marks the beginning of a feud between Karna and Pandavas.
[7][8]
Duryodhana, the eldest of the one-hundred sons of the king Dhritarashtra, knew that his cousins
Pandavas were better at warfare. Seeing Karna as a chance to get on even terms with them he
immediately offered Karna the throne of the kingdom of Anga, making him a king and hence eligible

to fight a duel with Arjuna.[9] Neither of them knows that Karna is in fact Kunti's oldest son, born to
(sun god) Surya. When Karna asked him what he could do to repay him, Duryodhana told him that
all he wanted was his friendship.[10]
Karna was a loyal and true comrade to Duryodhana. He helped him while he took
PrincessBhanumati (Mahabharata) of Kalingas in chariot to marry by battling with the rest of the
suitors (many legendary rulers like Shishupala, Jarasandh, Bhishmaka, Vakra, Kapotaroman, Nila,
Rukmi, Sringa, Asoka, Satadhanwan etc attended the ceremony) and easily defeated the pursuing
Kings, who dejected and abandoned their pursuing after seeing his fighting prowess of Karna to
protect his friend . Following his accession to the throne of Anga, Karna took an oath that anyone
who approached him with a request, when he worshipped the sun, would not leave empty-handed.

Hostilities with Pandavas

Karna was a suitor for Draupadi at her swayamvara, or her choosing of a marriage partner. Unlike
most other contenders, he was easily able to wield and string the bow, but Draupadi refused to allow
him to take part,rejecting him for being a "suta-putra" - son of a charioteer.The entire kings and the
assembled people insulted Karna for his low birth and only Duryodhana supported and argued for
Karna. The Pandavas were also present in the swayamvara, disguised as Brahmins. Following the
failure of the other princes, Arjunastepped into the ring and successfully hit the target, winning
Draupadi's hand.After the marriage was over, the assembled Kings in the swayamvara argued that a
Brahmin cannot attend the swayamvara and they took their weapons and attacked Arjuna disguised
as Brahmin. Arjuna fought with all the assembled kings and defeated them easily except Karna.
Karna entered the battle field to protect his fried Duryodhana and terrible battle was fought between
Karna and Arjuna who was disguised as Brahman. Karna never knew that the Brahman was Arjuna
and this was the first time when these two ace archers fought each other.But Arjuna recognized
Karna and the two Maharatha's fought each other. The battle was so intense that sky was filled with
arrows and visibility was lost in the cloud of arrows.With both archers not gaining upper hand,they
turn to use celestial weapons and sky and earth trembled due to the usage of celestial
weapons.With battle continued neither of them gaining upper hand news came to Karna that his nine
year old son Sudama was dying. Karna praised the skill of the Brahmin and compared it with the skill
of Drona or Kripa. Not being intreseted in doing the sin of Brahmahatya i.e hurting or killing a
Brahmin,which is considered as a grave sin as per scriptures Karna withdrew from the fight and
rushed to his son Sudama.It was then revealed that Sudama was hit by an arrow send by the
Brahmin warrior when fighting earlier with the other kings.The bystander, nine year old Sudama was
deeply hurt by Arjuna's arrows and died in the hands of Karna.When Arjuna's identity was later
revealed, Karna's feelings of hostile rivalry with him further intensified and sworn to kill Arjuna and
his family.
After Shakuni won a game of dice by trickery, Draupadi, now queen to all five sons of King Pandu,
including Arjuna, was dragged into the court by Dushasana. Duryodhana and his brothers attempted
to strip her. Karna insulted Draupadi by saying that a woman with more than four husbands is
nothing but a whore and that the Pandavas were all like sesame seeds removed from the kernel and
she should now find some other husbands. On the spot, Bhima, another of the Pandava brothers,
vowed that he would personally slaughter Duryodhana and his brothers in battle. Arjuna
subsequently swore to kill Karna.[11]

Later after Pandavas were in exile, Karna took up the task of establishing Duryodhana as the
Emperor. He commanded army that marched to different parts of the country to subjugate kings and
made them swear allegiance to Duryodhana, the king of Hastinapuror else die in battle. In this
military adventure, Karna waged wars and reduced to submission numerous kingdoms including
those of the Kambojas, the Shakas, the Kekayas, the Avantyas, the Gandharas, the Madarakas, the
Trigartas, the Tanganas, the Panchalas, the Videhas, the Suhmas, the Angas, the Vangas, the
Nishadas, the Kalingas, the Vatsa, the Ashmakas, the Rishikas and numerous others
including mlecchas and the forest tribes.[12]

Prelude to war
The Pandava elder brother Yudhisthira always considered Karna as the foremost warrior in the
world.[13]

Bhishma,Drona,Ashwatthama and the illustrious Kripa,are master

hand of that Suta's son, who, I regard, is the foremost of all wield

Following failed peace negotiations with Duryodhana, Krishna is driven back to the Pandavas by
Karna. Krishna then revealed to Karna that he is the eldest son of Kunti, and therefore, technically,
the eldest Pandava. Krishna implored him to change sides and assures him that Yudhisthira would
give the crown of Indraprastha to him; Draupadi who rejected him earlier will become his wife.
Shaken from the discovery, Karna still refuses these offers over Duryodhana's friendship. Krishna is
saddened, but appreciating Karna's sense of loyalty, accepted his decision, promising Karna that his
lineage would remain a secret. In addition, Karna was elated to learn that his true father was none
other than Surya.[14]
Indra, the king of the (Devas) and the father of Arjuna, realized that Karna would be invincible in
battle and unable to be killed as long as he had his kavach and kundal. He approaches Karna as a
poor Brahmin during Karna's sun-worship. Surya warned Karna of Indra's intentions, but Karna
thanked Surya and explained that he was bound by his word and could not send anyone from his
door empty-handed. When Indra approaches, Karna reveals that he knew the Brahmin's true identity
but assured that he would never turn anyone away. Cutting the armor and earrings off his body,
Karna handed them to Indra. For Karna's generosity Indra decided to reward him and Karna asked
for Indra's powerful weapon, the Vasavi shakti. Indra granted the boon, with the stipulation that
Karna could only use the weapon once.
As war approached, Kunti met Karna and in desperation to keep her children alive asked Karna to
join the Pandavas. But Karna denies the offer again. Knowing that Arjuna was under the divine aegis
of Krishna he would be invincible. Knowing that Karna will fight against Arjuna with a motive to kill,
Kunti extracted couple of promises from Karna that he will not kill any of the Pandavas and against
Arjuna he will not use a same celestial weapon twice. This particular request by Kunti as suggested
by Lord Krishna led to the death of Karna in the war as he did not use Nagastra and Rudra-astra

twice against Arjuna. Lord Krishna knew that Lord Parasurama gifted entire celestial weapons to
Karna and Arjuna don't have any counter to many of these weapon. Karna requested his mother to
keep their relationship a secret till his death as pandava brothers will not fight against their own
brother if she reveals the truth to them, due to dharma and after his death she is supposed to reveal
his birth identity to everyone and also promised that at the end of war she would still have five sons.

Kurukshetra war

Karna (left) kills Ghatotkacha (centre) as Arjuna (right) watches

Yudishthira wrestling with Karna

Arjuna kills Karna

Bhishma was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army. But giving the reason that
Karna had humiliated Draupadi and disrespected his guru Parshuram, Bhishma refused to take him
in the Kaurava army. He secretly knew of Karnas lineage and hence did not want him to fight his
own brother. Only after Bhishma fell on the eleventh day did Karna enter the war. Dronacharya took
the commander-in-chief position on twelfth day and the thirteenth day ended with Abhimanyus
(Arjuns son) death in the specially organized Chakravyuha/Padmavyuha formation.
Uncharacteristically, the battle on fourteenth day extended into the dark hours. Taking advantage of
that, Krishna introduced Ghatotkacha, Bhimas half-Asura son, as asuras gained extraordinary
power at night time. Ghatotkachas destroyed the Kaurava force and also injured Dronacharya.
Seeing the desperate situation, Karna used his Vasava Shakti, that was the boon from Indra, against
Ghatotkacha, thus killing him. Krishna however was pleased with the fact that the powerful weapon
could not be used against Arjuna in future as Karna had only one chance to use it.Later Lord Krishna
told Satyaki that he always applied his maya or illusion on Karna inorder to proctect Arjuna from
Karna's celestial weapons.[15]

Karna Parva

I,however always used to stupefy the son of Radha.It was for this
withstanding, in the night, Karna in battle.

Karna's wheel is stuck

Karna Parva, the eighth book of the Mahbhrata, describes sixteenth and seventeenth days of the
Kurukshetra war where post Dronacharyas death Karna took over as the commander-in-chief.
Anticipating a likely battle to the death between Karna and Arjuna, Krishna warned Arjuna calling
Karna to be the foremost of the heroes.[16][17]

Hear in brief, O son of Pandu! I regard the mighty Karna as thy eq

of the fears of friends. No one, not even the Gods with Vasava at

As promised to Kunti, Karna aimed at killing only Arjuna. On the sixteenth day, he fought with all the
Pandava brothers but Arjuna and spared each one of them. After defeating them, he ordered his
charioteer Shalya to move towards Arjuna. He used Nagastra, the same celestial weapon that was
used by Indrajith against Rama in Ramayana, in an attempt to kill Arjuna, but Krishna saved Arjuna
from certain death by lowering their chariot wheel into the earth. Karna and Arjuna then waged a
rough war against each other. As promised to Kunti, Karna used a celestial weapon only once
against Arjuna. Karna had a chance to kill Arjuna but spared the latter as the sun was about to set.
On the seventeenth day of battle the two foes faced each other once more. This battle between
Arjuna and Karna is perhaps the most cataclysmic and awesome of the great epic. The warriors on
the battlefield and the devas in heaven watched the battle in speechless amazement and terrified
admiration of the strength and skill of these greatest of warriors. On the seventeenth day, Karna cut
the string of Arjunas bow many times. The epic states that initially, the battle was even between the
two foes, but then Karna's chariot wheel was trapped in the mud as a result of the curse he received
earlier from a Brahmin. He still defended himself, but at the crucial moment forgot the incantations to

invoke Brahmanda astra, as a result of his guru Parshurama's curse. Karna got down from his
chariot to free the wheel and asked Arjuna to pause, reminding him of the etiquette of war. But
Krishna reminded Arjuna of all the incidents - Abhimanyus death, the Laksha-Griha conspiracy,
Draupadis insult and others - and attacked Karna while he was trying to lift his sunken chariot wheel.
Karna defended himself and invoked Rudraastra against Arjuna and this astra hit Arjuna on his
chest.[18] Arjuna lost his grip on his bow, Gandiva, which fell down from his hand for the first time and
Arjuna fell down in a swoon. Following the rules of engagement of war, Karna did not try to kill him
but instead tried to utilize the time in extracting the wheels of his chariot. Arjuna recovered and using
the Anjalika weapon decapitated the weaponless Karna, who was still trying to lift the sunken chariot
wheel. Though it was highly forbidden according to the rules of engagement of the war to attack a
weaponless warrior or to attack an enemy from the back, Arjuna was spurred by Lord Krishna to do
so. It was later revealed that Karna could be killed only when all the 3 curses acted upon him, and
this made Krishna employ deceit to kill Karna.
Later, when it was revealed that Karna was actually Arjuna's older brother, Arjuna became haunted
by Karna's killing, and took it upon himself to treat Vrishakethu, Karna's only remaining son, with
great care.[citation needed]
Another part of this event is that Karna's guru Parasurama appears in Karna's dream during the
period of the Kurukshetra War and when Karna asks him to release him from Parasurama's curse,
Parashurama revealed that he had known all along Karna was a Kshatriya, but because he was a
worthy student Parashurama had instructed him regardless. The avatar explained to Karna that
theBrahmanda astra had to fail him when he needed it most. If he killed Arjuna, Duryodhana would
be king instead of Yudhishthira,[19]and chaos would ensue. Parashurama asked Karna to accept his
curse and asked him to die at the hands of Arjuna,so that the world might live in peace.[8] Karna
accepted his gurus words and in return the grateful guru, Parashurama blessed Karna with immortal
glory and everlasting fame. Also,Lord Krishna asks Karna to accept the above destiny to enable
Dharma to triumph.Thus Karna submits to be killed by Arjuna so that Dharma may triumph.
In some versions as Karna lay dying on the battlefield, his father Surya and Arjuna's father Indra fell
into a debate as to who among their sons was superior and decided to test Karna's generosity and
appeared before him as Brahmins asking for alms. Karna said that at this point he had nothing to
give them while one of the Brahmins remark that he has some gold in his teeth which could be of
use to them. Karna on realizing this promptly took a stone and broke his teeth handing them over to
the Brahmins,thus proving his superiority.[20] In other versions of the epic, Krishna appears as a
Brahmin and asks for Karna's punya or merit and once Karna gifted his life's Punya to
him, Krishna rewarded Karna with the Darshan of Krishna's Vishwaroopa. Karna's wife Vrushali went
sati on Karna's pyre after his death. A play is staged in South India known as Kattaikkuttu which is
based on the events that occurred in Karna's life on the day of his death. [20]
Following the end of the war, Tarpan vidhi were performed for all the fallen. Kunti then requested her
sons to perform the rites for Karna and revealed the truth of his birth. The brothers were shocked to
find that they had committed fratricide. Yudhishtira, in particular, was furious with his mother and laid
a curse upon all women that they should never thereafter be able to keep a secret. [21]

Ascension to svarga

The Mahabharata mentions that after his death in the Kurukshetra war, Karna's soul ascended to
Suryalok (the abode of his father, Sun god), and along with his sons and "attained" the "state" of
a god.[22][23]

Karna's family
According to the Mahabharata, Karna was married to Vrushali. He had nine sons; Vrishasena,
Vrishaketu, Chitrasena, Satyasena, Sushena, Shatrunjaya, Dvipata, Banasena and Prasena; eight of
them took part in the Kurukshetra war. Prasena was killed bySatyaki, Shatrunjaya, Vrishasena and
Dvipata by Arjuna, Banasena by Bhima, Chitrasena, Satyasena and Sushena by Nakula.
Vrishakethu was his only son who survived the war as he was too young to participate in the war.[24]
[25]
After the war when Pandavas were made aware of Karna's lineage, Vrishakethu was offered to be
the King of Indraprasth, being the son of their eldest brother. He was under the patronage of Arjuna
and took part in various battles that preceded the Ashvamedh yagna.[citation needed]

Themes and analysis

Within the various Hindu mythologies, Karna draws resemblance with various other characters. The
attributed author of Mahabharata, sage Vyasa, is also noted to be born from an unwed union
of Satyavati and sage Parashara, just the way Karna is born before Kunti's marriage.
[26]
Philologist Georges Dumzil also compares him with his father Surya in the sense that he too has
two mothers, Kunti and Radha, just the way Surya in Vedas has two mothers, the night and the
dawn.[27] German indologist Georg von Simson, notes the similarities in the names of Karna and of
the Kumbhakarna, the demon brother of the main antagonist Ravana of the epic Ramayana. He also
notes that both Karna and Kumbhakarna did not take part in the great wars of their respective epics
at the start.[28] Scholars internationally have also drawn parallels with various European mythologies.
Karna's kawach (armour) has been compared with that of Achilles's Styx-coated body and with Irish
warrior Ferdiad's horny skin that could not be pierced. He has been compared to the Greek
character Achilles on various occasions as they both have powers but lack status. [29]

Secondary literature and media

Literature
Rabindranath Tagore wrote a poem, "Karna Kunti Sangbad" based on the meeting of Karna and
Kunti before the war. Karna also has been topic of various contemporary literary works. The Marathi
books of Radheya (1973) authored by Ranjit Desai and Mrityunjay(1967) authored by Shivaji
Sawant bring forth Karna's private and personal life on paper.[30] Sawant also received Moortidevi
Award, instituted by Bharatiya Jnanpith, for his work[31] and was translated into nine languages.
[32]
Ramdhari Singh Dinkar in 1978 published an epic poem Rashmirathi (translation: One who rides
the Chariot of light, 1952) which narrates Karna's life.[33] The poem has later also been adapted as
play.[34]

Film and theater

The 1964 epic Tamil film Karnan depicted his life and friendship with Duryodhana, starring Sivaji
Ganesan in title role. In 1977, the Telugu movie Daana Veera Soora Karna starred the Indian film
actor, director and producer N. T. Rama Rao. Shyam Benegal's 1981 film Kalyug adapted
the Mahabharat as a conflict between rival business houses with Shashi Kapoor playing Karan, the
character based on Karna. One of the songs from the 1991 Indian movie Thalapathi, based upon the
friendship between Karna andDuryodhana, has been voted number 4 in the BBC's 'World's Top Ten
Revealed' worldwide music poll.[35] In Peter Brook's filmed version of the epic (1989), Karna was
played by British actor Jeffery Kissoon. Recently in 2010, Prakash Jha directed
the Bollywoodfilm Raajneeti, a fictional adaptation of the Mahabharata, set within a backdrop of
Indian politics and starring the actor Ajay Devgan, playing a character based on Karna.[36] Karna was
portrayed by Pankaj Dheer in 1988, in the television series Mahabharat, for which he is popularly
known.[37] Aham Sharma portrayed the role of Karna in the Mahabharat (2013 TV series) and won the
award for Best Actor Supporting at Indian Telly Awards for the same role.[38]
South Indian film actor Mohanlal performed Karna on the stage in Karnabharam, a Sanskrit play that
was premiered in New Delhi in 2001 as part of the Bharat Rang Mahotsav directed by Kavalam
Narayana Panicker. The play depicts Karna's mental agony a day before the Kurukshetra War, as he
thinks about his past and his faith.[39]

In popular culture
Karna, synonyms like Karan,Karnan is one of the most popular choice of name for Hindu male child
in Indian subcontinent.This name is believed to bring glory and fame as per the blessing on it by
sage Parashurama.[40]

he Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ( Dokuritsu-gyseihjin Uch Kk Kenky Kaihatsu Kik , literally "Independent Administrative Institution on
Aerospace Research and Development "), or JAXA, is Japan's national aerospace agency. Through
the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003.
JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and the launch of satellites into orbit, and
is involved in many more advanced missions, such as asteroid exploration and possible manned
exploration of the Moon.[2] Its motto is One JAXA[3] and its corporate slogan isExplore to
Realize (formerly Reaching for the skies, exploring space).[4]
?

Contents
[hide]

1 History

2 Organization

3 Rockets

4 Successes

5 Launch development and missions

o

5.1 Rocket history

5.2 Early H-IIA missions

6 Lunar and interplanetary missions

o

6.1 Small body exploration: Hayabusa mission

6.2 Solar sail research

6.3 Lunar explorations

7 Astronomy program
o

7.1 Infrared astronomy

7.2 X-ray astronomy

7.3 Solar astronomy

7.4 Radio astronomy

8 Technology tests
o

8.1 ETS-VIII and WINDS

8.2 OICETS and INDEX

9 Earth observation programme

o

9.1 ALOS

9.2 Rainfall observation

9.3 Monitoring of carbon dioxide

9.4 GCOM series

10 Satellites for other agencies

11 Other JAXA satellites currently in use

12 Finished missions

13 Future missions

13.1 2009 and beyond

13.2 Launch schedule

13.2.1 FY 2010

13.2.2 FY 2011

13.2.3 FY 2012

13.2.4 FY 2013

13.2.5 Other missions

13.3 New orientation of JAXA

13.4 Developing projects

13.5 Plans
14 Human space program

15 Supersonic aircraft development

16 Reusable launch vehicles

17 Other space agencies in Japan

18 See also

19 Notes

20 External links

History[edit]

JAXA Kibo, the largest module of the ISS.

On 1 October 2003, three organizations were merged to form the new JAXA: Japan's Institute of
Space and Astronautical Science (or ISAS), the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL),
and National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). JAXA was formed as anIndependent
Administrative Institution administered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology (MEXT) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC).[5]
Before the merger, ISAS was responsible for space and planetary research, while NAL was focused
on aviation research. NASDA, which was founded on 1 October 1969, had developedrockets,
satellites, and also built the Japanese Experiment Module. The old NASDA headquarters were
located at the current site of the Tanegashima Space Center, on Tanegashima Island, 115 kilometers
south of Kysh. NASDA also trained Japanese astronauts, who flew with the USSpace Shuttles.[6]
In 2012 new legislation extended JAXA's remit from peaceful purposes only to include some military
space development, such as missile early warning systems. Political control of JAXA passed from
MEXT to the Prime Ministers Cabinet Office through a new Space Strategy Office.[7]

Organization[edit]

Head Office

Tanegashima Space Center

JAXA is composed of the following organizations.

Space Transportation Mission Directorate

Satellite Applications Mission Directorate I

Satellite Applications Mission Directorate II

Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate

Aerospace Research and Development Directorate

Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS)

Institute of Aeronautical Technology

JAXA has research centers in many locations in Japan, and some offices overseas. Its headquarters
are in Chfu, Tokyo. It also has

Earth Observation Research Center (EORC), Tokyo

Earth Observation Center (EOC) in Hatayama

Noshiro Testing Center (NTC) Established in 1962. It carries out development and testing
of rocket engines.

Sanriku Balloon Center (SBC) Balloons have been launched from this site since 1971.

Kakuda Space Propulsion Center (KSPC) Leads the development of rocket engines.
Works mainly with development of liquid fuel engines.

Sagamihara Campus (ISAS) Development of experimental equipment for rockets and

satellites. Also administrative buildings.

Tanegashima Space Center - currently the launch site for the H-IIA and H-IIB rockets.

Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC) in Tsukuba. This is the center of Japan's space network. It is
involved in research and development of satellites and rockets, and tracking and controlling of
satellites. It develops experimental equipment for the Japanese Experiment Module ("Kibo").
Training of astronauts also takes place here. For International Space Station operations, the
Japanese Flight Control Team is located at the Space Station Integration & Promotion Center
(SSIPC) in Tsukuba. SSIPC communicates regularly with ISS crewmembers via S-band audio. [8]

Uchinoura Space Center - currently the launch site for the Epsilon rocket.

Rockets[edit]
JAXA uses the H-IIA (H "two" A) rocket from the former NASDA body to launch engineering test
satellites, weather satellites, etc. For science missions like X-ray astronomy, JAXA used the MV ("Mu-five") solid-fueled rocket from the former ISAS until its retirement in 2006, and is now
developing the Epsilon rocket replacement. For experiments in the upper atmosphere JAXA uses the
SS-520, S-520, and S-310 sounding rockets.

Successes[edit]
Prior to the establishment of JAXA, ISAS had been most successful in its space program in the field
of X-ray astronomy during the 1980s and 1990s. Another successful area for Japan has been Very
Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) with the HALCA mission. Additional success was achieved with
solar observation and research of the magnetosphere, among other areas.
NASDA was mostly active in the field of communication satellite technology. However, since the
satellite market of Japan is completely open, the first time a Japanese company won a contract for a
civilian communication satellite was in 2005. Another prime focus of the NASDA body is
Earth climate observation.
JAXA was awarded the Space Foundation's John L. "Jack" Swigert, Jr., Award for Space Exploration
in 2008.[9]

Launch development and missions[edit]

H-IIA & H-IIB

Rocket history[edit]
Japan launched its first satellite, sumi, in 1970, using ISAS' L-4S rocket. Prior to the merger, ISAS
used small solid-fueled launch vehicles, while NASDA developed larger liquid-fueled launchers. In
the beginning, NASDA used licensed American models. The first model of liquid-fuelled launch
vehicle indigenously developed in Japan was the H-II, introduced in 1994. However, at the end of the
1990s, with two H-II launch failures, Japanese rocket technology began to face criticism.

Early H-IIA missions[edit]

Japan's first space mission under JAXA, an H-IIA rocket launch on 29 November 2003, ended in
failure due to stress problems. After a 15 month hiatus, JAXA performed a successful launch of an
H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima Space Center, placing a satellite into orbit on 26 February 2005.

Lunar and interplanetary missions[edit]

Japan's first missions beyond Earth orbit were the 1985 Halley comet observation
satellites Suisei and Sakigake. To prepare for future missions, ISAS tested Earth swing by orbits with
the Hiten mission in 1990. The first Japanese interplanetary mission was the Mars
Orbiter Nozomi (Planet-B), which was launched in 1998. It reached its target in 2003, but orbit
injection had to be given up. Currently interplanetary missions remain at the ISAS group under the
JAXA umbrella. However for FY 2008 JAXA is planning to set up an independent working group
within the organization. New head for this group will be Hayabusa project manager Kawaguchi.
[10]
Active Mission: Akatsuki, IKAROS Under Development: BepiColombo, Hayabusa 2?

Small body exploration: Hayabusa mission[edit]

Hayabusa

On 9 May 2003, Hayabusa (meaning, Peregrine falcon), was launched from an M-V rocket. The goal
of the mission was to collect samples from a small near-Earth asteroid named 25143 Itokawa. The
craft rendezvoused with the asteroid in September 2005. It was confirmed that the spacecraft
successfully landed on the asteroid in November 2005, after some initial confusion regarding the
incoming data. Hayabusa returned to Earth with samples from the asteroid on 13 June 2010.
See also: Hayabusa 2

Solar sail research[edit]

Main article: solar sail
On 9 August 2004, ISAS successfully deployed two prototype solar sails from a sounding rocket. A
clover type sail was deployed at 122 km altitude and a fan type sail was deployed at 169 km altitude.
Both sails used 7.5 micrometer thick film.
ISAS tested a solar sail again as a sub payload to the Astro-F (Akari) mission on 22 February 2006.
However the solar sail did not deploy fully. ISAS tested a solar sail again as a sub payload of
the Solar-B launch at 23 September 2006, but contact with the probe was lost. The IKAROS solar
sail was launched on 21 May 2010. The solar sail deployed successfully. The goal is to have a solar
sail mission to Jupiter after 2010.

Lunar explorations[edit]
After Hiten in 1990, ISAS planned a lunar exploration mission LUNAR-A but after delays due to
technical problems, the project was terminated in January 2007. The seismometer penetrator design
for Lunar-A may be reused in future mission.
On 14 September 2007, JAXA succeeded in launching lunar orbit explorer Kaguya, also known as
SELENE (costing 55 billion yen including launch vehicle), the largest such mission since the Apollo
program, on an H-2A rocket. Its mission is to gather data on themoon's origin and evolution. It
entered into a lunar orbit on 4 October 2007.[11][12] After 1 year and 8 months it impacted the lunar
surface on 10 June 2009 at 18:25 UTC.

Astronomy program[edit]
See also: Scientific research on the ISS

The first Japanese astronomy mission was x-ray satellite Hakucho (Corsa-B), which was launched in
1979. Later ISAS moved into solar observation, radio astronomy through Space VLBI and infrared
astronomy. Active Mission: Suzaku, Akari, Hinode Under Development: ASTRO-G, ASTRO-H

Infrared astronomy[edit]

AKARI (Astro-F)

ASTRO-E

Japan's first infrared astronomy mission was the 15 cm IRTS telescope which was part of
theSFU multipurpose satellite in 1995. IRTS scanned during its one month lifetime around 7% of the
sky before SFU got brought back to Earth by the Space Shuttle. During the 1990s JAXA also gave
ground support for the ESA Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) infrared mission.
The next step for JAXA was the AKARI spacecraft, with the pre-launch designation ASTRO-F. This
satellite was launched on 21 February 2006. Its mission is infrared astronomy with a 68 cm
telescope. This is the first all sky survey since the first infrared mission IRAS in 1983. (A
3.6 kg nanosatellite named CUTE-1.7 was also released from the same launch vehicle.)[13]
JAXA is also doing further R&D for increasing the performance of its mechanical coolers for its future
infrared mission SPICA. This would enable a warm launch without liquid helium. SPICA has the

same size as the ESA Herschel Space Observatory mission, but is planned with a temperature of
just 4.5 K to be much colder. The launch is planned for the year 2015, however the mission is not yet
fully funded. Also ESA and NASA might contribute an instrument each.[14]

X-ray astronomy[edit]
Starting from 1979 with Hakucho (CORSA-B), Japan achieved for nearly 20 years continuous
observation with its Hinotori, Tenma, Ginga and Asuka (ASTRO-A to D) x-ray observation satellites.
However in the year 2000 the launch of Japan's fifth x-ray observation satelliteASTRO-E failed (as it
failed at launch it never received a proper name).
Then on 10 July 2005, JAXA was finally able to launch a new X-ray astronomy mission named
Suzaku (ASTRO-E II). This launch was important for JAXA, because in the five years since the
launch failure of the original ASTRO-E satellite, Japan was without an x-ray telescope. Three
instruments were included in this satellite: an X-ray spectrometer (XRS), an X-ray imaging
spectrometer (XIS), and a hard X-ray detector (HXD). However, the XRS was rendered inoperable
due to a malfunction which caused the satellite to lose its supply of liquid helium.
The next planned x-ray mission is the Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI). It will continuously
monitors astronomical X-ray objects over a broad energy band (0.5 to 30 keV). MAXI will be installed
on the Japanese external module of the ISS.[15] After this mission JAXA plans to launch ASTRO-H,
also known under the name NeXT, in the summer of 2013.
See also: ASTRO-H

Solar astronomy[edit]
Japan's solar astronomy started in the early 80s with the launch of the Hinotori (ASTRO-A) x-ray
mission. The Hinode (SOLAR-B) spacecraft, the follow-on to the Japan/US/UK Yohkoh (SOLAR-A)
spacecraft, was launched on 23 September 2006.[16][17] A SOLAR-C can be expected sometime after
2010. However no details are worked out yet other than it will not be launched with the former ISASs
Mu rockets. Instead H-2A from Tanegashima could launch it. As H-2A is more powerful SOLAR-C
could either be heavier or be stationed at L1 (Lagrange point 1).

Radio astronomy[edit]
In 1998 Japan launched the HALCA (Muses-B) Mission, the world first spacecraft dedicated to
create SPACE VLBI observations of Pulsars among others. To do so, ISAS set up a ground network
around the world through international cooperation. The observation part of the mission lasted until
2003 and the satellite was retired at the end of 2005. In FY 2006 Japan funded the ASTRO-G as the
succeeding mission. Launch is planned for FY 2012.
For details see:
ASTRO-G HALCA

Technology tests[edit]

One of the primary duties of the former NASDA body was the testing of new space technologies,
mostly in the field of communication. The first test satellite was ETS-I,launched in 1975. However
during the 1990s NASDA was hit by bad luck with the problems surrounding the ETS-VI and
COMETS missions.
Testing of communication technologies remains as one of the Jaxas key duties in cooperation
with NICT. Active Mission: ETS-VIII,WINDS, Index Under Development: QZSS1 Retired: OICETS

ETS-VIII and WINDS[edit]

To upgrade Japan's communication technology the Japanese state launched the i-Space initiative
with the ETS-VIII and WINDS missions.[18]
ETS-VIII was launched on 18 December 2006. The purpose of ETS-VIII is to test communication
equipment with two very large antennas and an atomic clock test. On 26 December both antennas
were successfully deployed. This didn't come unexpected, since JAXA tested the deployment
mechanism before with the LDREX-2 Mission, which was launched on 14 October with the
European Ariane 5. The test was successful. The mission of WINDS is to create the worlds fastest
satellite internet connection. WINDS was launched in February 2008.

OICETS and INDEX[edit]

On 24 August 2005, JAXA launched the experimental satellites OICETS and INDEX with the Dnepr
rocket. OICETS mission is to test optical links with the European Space Agency (ESA)
satellite ARTEMIS, which is around 40,000 km away from OICETS. The experiment was successful
on 9 December, when the link could be established. In March 2006 Jaxa could establish with
OICETS the worldwide first optical links between a LEO satellite and a ground station first in Japan
and in June 2006 with a mobile station in Germany.
INDEX is a small 70 kg satellite for testing various equipment and for a small aurora observation
mission. The satellite is currently in the extended mission phase.

Earth observation programme[edit]

Japan's first Earth observation satellites were MOS-1a and MOS-1b launched in 1987 and 1990.
During the 1990s and the new millennium this programme came under heavy fire, because both
Adeos (Midori) and Adeos 2 (Midori 2) satellites failed after just 10 months in orbit.
Active Mission: ALOS, GOSAT Under Development: GCOM-W, GCOM-C, ALOS 2 SAR

ALOS[edit]

MTSAT-1

In January 2006, JAXA successfully launched the Advanced Land Observation

Satellite(ALOS/Daichi). Communication between ALOS and the ground station in Japan will be done
through the Kodama Data Relay Satellite, which was launched during 2002. This project is under
intense pressure due to the shorter than expected lifetime of the ADEOS II (Midori) Earth
Observation Mission. For the following on mission JAXA plans to split the mission into a radar
satellite and an optical satellite. ALOS 2 SAR is currently planned for the winter of FY 2012.

Rainfall observation[edit]
Since Japan is an island nation and gets struck by typhoons every year, research about the
dynamics of the atmosphere is a very important issue. For this reason Japan launched in 1997
the TRMM mission in cooperation with NASA, to observe the tropical rainfall seasons. JAXA and
NASA are planning a successor to the TRMM mission. However because of NASA budget problems
the launch date of the GPM project got pushed back to the year 2013. For further research NASDA
although launched the ADEOS and ADEOS II missions in 1996 and 2003. However due to various
reasons both satellites had a much shorter than expected life term.

Monitoring of carbon dioxide[edit]

At the end of the 2008 fiscal year, JAXA launched the satellite GOSAT (Greenhouse Gas Observing
SATellite) to help scientists determine and monitor the density distribution of carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere. The satellite is being jointly developed by JAXA and Japan's Ministry of the
Environment. JAXA is building the satellite while the Ministry is in charge of the data that will be
collected. Since the number of ground-based carbon dioxide observatories cannot monitor enough
of the world's atmosphere and are distributed unevenly throughout the globe, the GOSAT may be
able to gather more accurate data and fill in the gaps on the globe where there are no observatories
on the ground. Sensors for methane and other greenhouse gasses are also being considered for the
satellite, although the plans are not yet finalized. The satellite weighs approximately 1650 kg and is
expected to have a life span of 5 years.

GCOM series[edit]
Next funded earth observation mission after GOSAT is the GCOM earth observation programme as
a successor to ADEOS II (Midori) and the Aqua mission. To reduce the risk and for a longer
observation time the mission will be split into smaller satellites. Altogether GCOM will be a series of

six satellites. First launch, GCOM-W is scheduled for February 2012 with the H-IIA. Second launch
GCOM-C is currently planned for February 2014.

Satellites for other agencies[edit]

For weather observation Japan launched on February 2005 the Multi-Functional Transport Satellite
1R (MTSAT-1R). The success of this launch was critical for Japan, since the original MTSAT-1
couldn't be put into orbit because of a launch failure with the H-2 rocket in 1999. Since then Japan
relied for weather forecasting on an old satellite which was already beyond its useful life term and on
American systems.
On 18 February 2006, JAXA, as head of the H-IIA at this time, successfully launched the MTSAT-2
aboard a H-2A rocket. MTSAT-2 is the backup to the MTSAT-1R. The MTSAT-2 uses the DS-2000
satellite bus developed by Mitsubishi Electric.[19] The DS-2000 is also used for the DRTS Kodama,
ETS-VIII and the Superbird 7 communication satellite, making it the first commercial success for
Japan.
As a secondary mission both the MTSAT-1R and MTSAT-2 help to direct air traffic.

Other JAXA satellites currently in use[edit]

Exos-D (Akebono) Aurora Observation, since 1989.

GEOTAIL magnetosphere observation satellite (since 1992)

DRTS (Kodama) Data Relay Satellite, since 2002. (Projected Life Span is 7 years)

On going joint missions with NASA are the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM),
the Aqua Earth Observation Satellite.

Finished missions[edit]

OICETS, Technology Demonstration 20052009 (retired)

SELENE, Moon probe 20072009 (retired)

Micro Lab Sat 1, Small engineering mission, launch 2002. (retired 27 September 2006)

HALCA, Space VLBI 19972005 (retired)

Nozomi, Mars Mission 19982003 (failed)

MDS-1, Technology Demonstration 20022003 (retired)

ADEOS 2, (Midori 2) Earth Observation 20022003 (lost)

Future missions[edit]

HTV-1

As JAXA shifted away from international efforts beginning in 2005, plans are developing for
independent space missions, such as a proposed manned mission to the moon.

2009 and beyond[edit]

This section is outdated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly
available information. (November 2010)
On 23 February 2008 JAXA launched the Wideband InterNetworking engineering test and
Demonstration Satellite (WINDS), also called "KIZUNA." WINDS will facilitate experiments with
faster internet connections. The launch, using H-IIA launch vehicle 14, took place from
the Tanegashima Space Center.[20]
On 10 September 2009 the first H-IIB rocket was successfully launched, delivering the HTV1 freighter to resupply the International Space Station.[21]
Another project is the Global Precipitation Measurement/Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar
(GPM/DPR) which is a joint development with NASA. This mission is the successor to the highly
successful TRMM mission. JAXA will develop the radar and provide the launch vehicle. Other
countries/agencies like China, India, ESA etc. will provide the subsatellites. The aim of this mission is
to measure global rainfall. However because of NASA budget limitations this project was pushed
back to 2010.
In the year 2009 JAXA plans to launch the first satellite of the Quasi Zenith Satellite System (QZSS),
a subsystem of the global positioning system (GPS). Two others are expected to follow later. If
successful, one satellite will be in a zenith position over Japan full-time. The QZSS mission is the
last scheduled major independent mission for JAXA, as no major civilian projects were funded after
that for now. The only exception is the IGS programme which will be continued beyond 2008.
However it seems Japan is pressing forward now with the GCOM earth observation satellites as
successors to the ADEOS missions. First launch is planned for 2010. In 2009 Japan also plans to
launch a new version of the IGS with an improved resolution of 60 cm.

Launch schedule[edit]
First launch of the H-IIB and the HTV is 1 September 2009. After the first flight one HTV launch is
planned during each FY until 2015. (If not mentioned otherwise launch vehicle for the following
missions is the H-IIA.)

FY 2010[edit]

H-II Transfer Vehicle, Unmanned resupply spacecraft, launch: Winter, 2010

Quasi Zenith Satellite System, launch: Aug, 2010

Akatsuki, probe to Venus, launch: May, 2010

IKAROS, Solar-sail Technology Demonstration satellite, launch: May, 2010

FY 2011[edit]

GCOM-W, Climate Observation satellite, launch: Feb, 2012

FY 2012[edit]

ALOS 2 SAR, Earth Observation satellite, launch: Winter 2012

ASTRO-G (VSOP-2) successor to the Halca mission, launch: Summer 2012

TOPS Telescope Observatory for Planets on Small-satellite, launch: Feb, 2012

FY 2013[edit]

GPM, successor to the TRMM joint NASA mission

BepiColombo, joint ESA mission to Mercury, launch: 2013 (LV: Ariane 5)

ASTRO-H x-ray observatory, launch: summer 2013.

GCOM-C, Climate Observation satellite, launch: Feb, 2014

Other missions[edit]
For the 2012 ESA EarthCare mission, JAXA will provide the radar system on the satellite. JAXA is
also providing the Light Particle Telescope(LPT) for the 2008 Jason 2 satellite by the French CNES.
JAXA will provide the Auroral Electron Sensor (AES) for the Taiwanese FORMOSAT-5.[7]

SmartSat-1, small communication test and sun corona observation, Mission status unclear

XEUS joint X-Ray telescope with ESA, launch after 2015.

Sohla-2 Small PETSAT Demonstration Satellite

New orientation of JAXA[edit]

Planning interplanetary research missions can take up to seven years, such as the ASTRO-E. Due
to the lag time between these interplanetary events and mission planning time, opportunities to gain

new knowledge about the cosmos might be lost. To prevent this, JAXA plans on using smaller, faster
missions from 2010 onwards. JAXA is developing a new solid-fueled rocket, the Epsilon, to replace
the retired M-V.

Developing projects[edit]

IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun), a small size

powered-solar sail experimental spacecraft. Future mission will use solar sail
for Jupiter and Trojan asteroids exploration.

Plans[edit]

Selene-2, a moon landing mission

Hayabusa 2, for launch in 20142015 for target 1999JU3

Hayabusa Mk2/Marco Polo

Human Lunar Systems, conceptual system study on the future human lunar outpost

ALOS-2, earth observation

SPICA, a 3,5 meter infrared telescope to be placed at L2

JASMINE, infrared telescope for measuring the universe

DIOS, small scale x-ray observation

Space Solar Power System (SSPS), space-based solar power prototype launch in 2020,
aiming for a full power system in 2030[22]

Human space program[edit]

The Spacelab-J shuttle flight, funded by Japan, included several tons of Japanese science research equipment

Japan has ten astronauts but has not yet developed its own manned spacecraft and is not currently
developing one officially. A potentially manned space shuttle-spaceplane HOPE-Xproject launched
by the conventional space launcher H-II was developed for several years (including test flights

of Hyflex/OREX prototypes) but was postponed. The simpler manned capsule Fuji was proposed but
not adopted. Projects for single-stage to orbit, horizontal takeoff reusable launch vehicle and landing
ASSTS and the vertical takeoff and landingKankoh-maru also exist but have not been adopted.
The first Japanese citizen to fly in space was Toyohiro Akiyama, a journalist sponsored byTBS, who
flew on the Soviet Soyuz TM-11 in December 1990. He spent more than seven days in space on
the Mir space station, in what the Soviets called their first commercial spaceflight which allowed
them to earn $14 million.
Japan participates in US and international manned space programs including flights of Japanese
astronauts on Russian Soyuzspacecraft to the ISS. One Space Shuttle mission (STS-47) in
September 1992 was partially funded by Japan. This flight included JAXA's first astronaut in
space, Mamoru Mohri, as the Payload Specialist for the Spacelab-J, one of the European
built Spacelabmodules. This mission was also designated Japan.

A view of the completed Kibo module.

Three other NASA Space Shuttle missions (STS-123, STS-124, STS-127) in 20082009 delivered
parts of the Japanese built spacelab-module Kibo to ISS.
Japanese plans for a manned lunar landing were in development but were shelved in early 2010 due
to budget constraints.[23]
In June 2014 Japan's science and technology ministry said it was considering a space mission
to Mars. In a ministry paper it indicated unmanned exploration, manned missions to Mars and longterm settlement on the Moon were objectives, for which international cooperation and support was
going to be sought.[24]

Supersonic aircraft development[edit]

Besides the H-IIA and M-5 rockets, JAXA is also developing technology for a nextgeneration supersonic transport that could become the commercial replacement for the Concorde.
The design goal of the project (working name NEXST) is to develop a jet that can carry 300
passengers at Mach 2. A subscale model of the jet underwent aerodynamic testing in September
and October 2005 in Australia.[25] The economic success of such a project is still unclear, and as a
consequence the project has been met with limited interest from Japanese aerospace companies
like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries so far.

Reusable launch vehicles[edit]

Until 2003[citation needed] JAXA (ISAS) conducted research on a reusable launch vehicle under
the Reusable Vehicle Testing (RVT)project.

Other space agencies in Japan[edit]

Not included into the JAXA organization is the Institute for unmanned space experiment free
flyer (USEF), Japan's other space agency.

See also[edit]
Spaceflight portal

Independent Administrative Institution (IAI), 2001

List of Independent Administrative Institutions (Japan)

Space Brothers (manga)

Notes[edit]
1.
2.

Jump up^ " ". JAXA. Retrieved 26 August 2014.

Jump up^ McCurry, Justin (15 September 2007). "Japan launches biggest moon mission
since Apollo landings".guardian.co.uk/science (London). Retrieved 16 September 2007.

3.

Jump up^ Keiji Tachikawa JAXA in 2006

4.

Jump up^ JAXA | New JAXA Philosophy and Corporate Slogan

5.

Jump up^ "Law Concerning Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency". JAXA. Retrieved 20
April 2010.

6.

Jump up^ Kamiya, Setsuko, "Japan a low-key player in space race",Japan Times, 30 June
2009, p. 3.

7.

Jump up^ "Japan Passes Law Permitting Military Space Development".Defense News. 22
June 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2012.

8.

Jump up^ "ISS On-Orbit Status 04/23/09". NASA.

9.

Jump up^ http://www.nationalspacesymposium.org/symposium-awards

10.

Jump up^ [1]

11.

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