SPACE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER: EVIDENCES FROM JAPAN

Government organizations have to justify high expenditures during periods of financial crisis like the ones we live today. An example is the Space Agencies which have attempted to increase the returns on their investments in space missions in order to encourage the commercial use of advanced technologies.
The development of a technology transfer process from Space to Earth does not only benefit the aerospace industry but the system of national companies as well. These in fact have advantages from the technological knowledge and R&D structures present in the Space Agencies and in those system integrator companies that are part of the space sector.
This permits them to generate innovation and enjoy competitive advantages. The Japan Space Agency (JAXA) primary aim is to consolidate and develop the industrial system in its country using means of technology transfer programs.
The case of Japan is particularly interesting because the space sector has always been organized to promote the process of technology transfer and also because its agency (JAXA) has an important R&D laboratory. While most of the Space Agencies in the world have only a facilitator role of promotion, coordination and financing, JAXA can also develop space technologies. The aim of this paper is to investigate which are the actors and their role and how to organize the TT process in the Japan Space Sector. We have adopted an explorative research investigating two cases of TT promoted by JAXA and supported by one of the most important system integrator companies such as Mitsubishi.