COVER PHOTOGRAPH

AIAA Aerospace Communications Award to Dr. Yasuo HIRATA

Contents

Cover Page

Interview with CEO
Dr. Ali E. Atia, President
Orbital Communications International

Dr.Atia, who is currently President of Orbital Communications International, responsible for the communications business area under Orbital Science Corporation, was interviewed for Space Japan Review.

"We were fortunate that the slow down in the GEO satellites orders did not have any significant adverse effect on our plans, perhaps partly because our targets are modest, and also because the smaller satellites are more appealing to operators in a down market. So the results for Orbital business is as expected. "

Executive Comment
Dr. Tadahiro Sekimoto

Dr. Tadahiro Sekimoto, Chairman of the Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies (IISE), who was formerly Chairman of NEC Corporation, was bestowed the highest Medal of Honor from IEEE. The Honors Ceremony was held in Kansas City, Mo. in the U. S. on June 19. The citation for the award is the gpioneering contributions to digital satellite communications, promotion of information technology R&D, and corporate leadership in computers and communications.h The medal is comparable to a Nobel Prize in the information communications field. Dr. Sekimoto was also the first chairman of the AIAA Japan Forum.

Space Japan Opinion
    "Can We Understand Wind ?"
Dr. Takashi Iida, Chairman of JFSC

• What changes have emerged in the world since the beginning of the 21st century?
• We should recognize the changing role of the national research organization.
• Manned space development is the most suitable choice of our country.
• Are there still reservations to start manned space development?
• Manned space development does not obstruct R&D of satellite communications.

Education Corner
Edward Ashford, Technical University of Delft

SPACETECH
- A UNIQUE APPROACH TO HIGHER EDUCATIONIN SPACE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING -
Indeed, most engineers and scientists working today in the space field have come into the field after being educated in completely different areas of engineering, science, or mathematics. Fortunately, most who undergo this kind of on-job training in space engineering survive the ordeal, and the accomplishments that have been achieved in the past fifty years in exploring and utilizing space attest to the excellence, expertise, and dedication of those working in the field. Nevertheless, one can only conclude that there must be a better way to develop tomorrow's space engineers and project managers.

Space Japan Club
Hideki (Eddie) Kato, Vice President, Business Development Orbital Sciences Corporation

Chasing Commercial Communications Satellite Market Worldwide (1/2)

Editor's comment

It became the great issue colored by auspicious contents, such as Executive Comments of Dr. Tadahiro Sekimoto who is a Chairman of IISE , and formerly Chairman of AIAA Japan Forum who was bestowed the highest Metal of Honor from IEEE. The Honors Ceremony was held in Kansas City, Mo. in the U.S.A on June 19. And Chairman of KDDI Lab. Dr. Yasuo Hirata, who had AIAA ICSSC Communications Award awarded in AIAA ICSSC 2004 at Monterey. We congratulate to both Dr. Sekimoto and Dr. Hirata for their honorable activities. In this issue, a new plan "Space Japan Opinion" has been launched as a column for the opinion leader for Space Development Activities in Japan. Dr. Iida, Chairman of JFSC, is the first presenter for this column titled "How We get the Wind". We would like to have the opinion concerning space development activities from many readers in order to create the Ground Policy for space development activities in Japan, It is great pleasure to contribute the establishment of grand policy in space development (Member of Editorial committee S.K.)

Editorial Bureau/ AIAA JFSC, Editorial Committee
NICT, Space Communications Division
4-2-1, Nukui-Kitamachi, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8795, Japan
FAX: +81 42 327 6123

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