Taiki Town and SPACE COTAN Co., Ltd., the operator of Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO), have received the Minister of State for Space Policy Award at the 7th Space Development and Utilization Awards, organized by the Cabinet Office of Japan.
The Space Development and Utilization Awards recognize outstanding initiatives that contribute to the promotion of space development and utilization, with the aim of advancing Japan’s space activities and enhancing public awareness and understanding. The Minister of State for Space Policy Award is presented to initiatives recognized for particularly distinguished achievements. Taiki Town and SPACE COTAN were honored for their efforts in promoting “space-driven town development centered on Hokkaido Spaceport.”
Encouraged by this award, Taiki Town and SPACE COTAN will continue developing a spaceport capable of high-frequency launches of multiple types of launch vehicles, fostering an industrial cluster in Hokkaido—envisioned as a “Space Silicon Valley” with HOSPO at its core—, and further contributing to the advancement of space development and utilization in Japan.
Statement from Yutaka Kurokawa, Mayor of Taiki Town
We are sincerely grateful to receive the Minister of State for Space Policy Award at the 7th Space Development and Utilization Awards. For more than 40 years, Taiki Town has been committed to “space-driven town development” and has worked to promote space development and utilization. Going forward, together with SPACE COTAN, we will continue advancing this initiative centered on Hokkaido Spaceport and contribute even further to the progress of space development and utilization.
Statement from Yoshinori Odagiri, CEO, SPACE COTAN Co., Ltd.
We are deeply honored to receive the Minister of State for Space Policy Award at the 7th Space Development and Utilization Awards, and we extend our sincere appreciation to all stakeholders for their continued support. Together with Taiki Town, SPACE COTAN is working to promote the space-related industry while revitalizing the regional economy. Toward achieving the government’s goal of securing approximately 30 launches per year by the early 2030s and enabling high-frequency launches of multiple types of launch vehicles, we will continue striving to develop a next-generation, privately open spaceport and contribute to the advancement of space development and utilization, as well as to regional economic growth.
About Taiki Town
- Representative: Yutaka Kurokawa, Mayor
- Location: 33 Higashihon-dori, Taiki Town, Hiroo, Hokkaido, Japan
- Overview: A town with a population of 5,200 where agriculture, fishing, and forestry are the core industries. The town was recognized as suitable as a base for aerospace in 1984, and for over 40 years since then, the town has been promoting itself as a space town. In 2022, construction began on Launch Complex 1 (LC1), a new orbital launch site. The goal is to create an aerospace industry hub and ecosystem with Hokkaido Spaceport as its core.
- Website: https://www.town.taiki.hokkaido.jp/
About SPACE COTAN Co., Ltd.
- Representative: Yoshinori Odagiri, CEO
- Location: 98 Nishihondori, Taiki Town, Hiroo, Hokkaido, Japan
- Business Overview: Based on a mandate from Taiki Town, SPACE COTAN is responsible for the management and operation of HOSPO, fundraising support for infrastructure development, launch site design, acquisition of national certifications, customer development, launch support, public relations activities and overall promotion of the HOSPO project.
- Website: https://hokkaidospaceport.com/en/
About Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO)
HOSPO is a commercial spaceport open to the private sector, located in Taiki, Japan. For over 40 years, Taiki Town has sought to be home to the aerospace industry and is regarded as one of the most suitable locations for a world-class spaceport, thanks to its considerable geographic advantages: open seas to the east and south for launch trajectories and expansive land for future site expansion.
HOSPO’s suborbital launch site, Launch Complex 0 (LC0), is already operational, with private launch vehicles having reached space three times to date.
To realize its vision of creating a “Space Silicon Valley,” development is underway on a new orbital launch site, Launch Complex 1 (LC1). Future plans include Launch Complex 2 (LC2) for high-frequency launches, Launch Complex X (LCX) for larger and human-rated launch vehicles, and a new 3,000-meter runway for point-to-point transportation (P2P).
In October 2024, Taiki Town and SPACE COTAN signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), committing to expand international spaceport collaboration with eight commercial spaceports located across five continents. In order to meet the growing demand for launches, SPACE COTAN will explore potential strategic partnerships aimed at establishing international spaceport standards.
Furthermore, SPACE COTAN was selected in January 2025 for the Japanese government’s Space Strategy Fund and will use the funding to develop ground-based technologies that support high-frequency launches of various launch vehicles. In another milestone, in July 2025, jtSPACE Co., Ltd., a Japanese sister company of Taiwanese firm TiSPACE Inc., conducted the nation’s first suborbital rocket launch funded by foreign capital at HOSPO.
