Japan Asks Industry To Finance Military Support Satellite

摘要

In a bid to bolster its space communications infrastructure, Japan's Ministry of Defense (MoD) is asking the country's private sector to finance and build two geostationary communications satel- lites provisionally due for launch in 2015 and 2016 to support Japan's ground forces, navy and overseas peacekeeping missions. The two satellites are to be funded under a so-called Private Finance Initiative (PFI) under which the MoD will give a total of 122.4 billion yen ($1.6 billion) to a private holding company, called a Special Purposes Company, that will be established in October, said Atsuhiko Fujishige, director of the MoD's Development and Procurement Planning Office.