Text Fwd: Japan Cancels the GX rocket Development

* Email sent from Makiko Sato on Dec. 17, 2009, with the title of the 'Final Announcement'

'An official statement was categorically issued on 16th that

Japan won't pursue the GX rocket development any more,

due to its low prospect in profitability and in international competition.

However, the present development of its engine with the use of LGP will be continued,

they said.

Hitachi had been requesting to the government that a huge amount of

our tax money should be invested in this project―￥98 billion in 5 years.

Simply put, Japan cannot afford that, they said.

Even now Russia has a greater and more cost-efficient technology of that kind ,

and no matter how the US company assures the minimum profitability in the US-Japan

joint development project with the use of its Atlas V rockets, the present Japanese

government has little appetite for that uncertain, money-devouring development, considering

the fact that mid-size artificial satellites can be loaded in H-2 rockets Japan presently uses.

This government has been trying, at least so far, to be thrifty, as Japan is in huge debts:

￥37 trillion revenues ＋￥44 trillion in national bonds－￥94 trillion expentidure　

means, we still need ￥13 trillion from somewhere.

So good finantial sense has prevented the uncertain space development.'