Watch: Japan’s 'rocket island' where UAE’s Mars mission will take flight


Sarwat Nasir
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Locals on the Tanegashima island have been watching rockets soar across the skies above them for more than 50 years.

Surrounded by emerald green waters and lush green mountains, the island is home to the Tanegashima Space Centre, which is nestled in the heart of mother nature.

So, when a 53-metre-tall rocket blasts off from the site, it’s a stellar view.

The picturesque location also helps attract hundreds of tourists from all over the world.

I visited the island in December to mark it off my bucket list and had hoped to go again to cover the launch of UAE’s Mars Hope spacecraft, but Covid-19 travel restrictions didn’t allow it.

The 33,000 inhabitants in Tanegashima, however, have the chance to witness the first Arab interplanetary mission taking off.

Even though local authorities have closed public viewing events because of the virus, the rocket can still be seen from miles away on the 444.99km2-large island.

With 175 launches since 1968, space has become sort of a lifestyle for the natives.

They are planning their own gathering with friends and families to watch another UAE spacecraft lift off from their island. The first one was a satellite, KhalifaSat, in 2018.

Kazumichi Takai, 54, manages a drone company and watches every launch.

“I’m glad the UAE chose a Japanese rocket for the launch. We’ll be watching from a distance,” he said.

Kaori Habu, 43, was born and raised on the island and looks forward to lift-offs that take place in the evening and illuminate the sky.

The Hope spacecraft will be taking off at 12.51am (UAE time) – 6.51am in Tanegashima – on July 15 if there are no delays because of the unstable weather caused by the ongoing rain season.

The Japanese H-IIA rocket, a product of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, will be delivering the craft outside of Earth’s atmosphere.

“We are grateful that many countries are launching from Tanegashima,” said Ms Habu, who works as an administrator.

“People will get to know our island because of the rocket launches.”

One woman in Tanegashima, Reiko Kawagoe, 44, was so inspired with space, she created her own brand of space food for astronauts.

She is in talks with Japan’s space agency Jaxa to make her product available to Japanese astronauts.

“I made spicy Indian curry for the astronauts, using the items we grow here on the island, such as brown sugar, sea salt and chicken,” said Ms Kawagoe, who works as a part time yoga instructor.

“It is exciting to see countries in the Middle East also getting involved in space.”

For tourists, the experience on rocket island is exemplary even if there is no launch scheduled.

During my visit, it became obvious that there was a recurring space-theme throughout.

The National's Sarwat Nasir visited Japan's 'rocket island' in December. The National
The National's Sarwat Nasir visited Japan's 'rocket island' in December. The National

The water bottles in Tanegashima have plastic wrappers that have images of astronauts and rockets.

Most of the hotels have framed photos on the walls of previous rocket launches.

The space centre is the most recommended tourist spot and there’s a free tour around the site and in the exhibition for visitors. Though, it has been suspended due to recent events.

Tourists can purchase souvenirs from there, such as model rockets and space food. I couldn’t walk away without buying the takoyaki – a dehydrated version of a Japanese cuisine (octopus dumplings) that is prepared for astronauts.

As you drive around the island, you see model rockets installed in different locations.

Like most rocket launching islands or deserts, Tanegashima is also a complicated place to travel to.

I took a flight from Dubai to Osaka, then to Kagoshima and then Tanegashima. From the airport, it’s a 20 to 25-minute drive to the space centre, as it’s on the very south side of the island.

For those who would like to watch UAE's upcoming mission to Mars launch, a live stream is available here.

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US tops drug cost charts

The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.

Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.

In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.

Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol. 

The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.

High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.

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Packages which the US Secret Service said contained possible explosive devices were sent to:

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  • Former US president Barack Obama
  • Philanthropist and businessman George Soros
  • Former CIA director John Brennan at CNN's New York bureau
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Water waste

In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.

Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.

A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.

The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.

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