Japan is a partner in the International Space Station to at least 2020; but it is also dependent on the American space shuttle to ferry astronauts to its module Kibo to conduct scientific experiments. The shuttle fleet is being decommissioned in 2010. The two currently orbiting Japanese astronauts - Soichi Noguchi and Naoko Yamazaki - may be the last in Earth orbit for at least a good while, reports The Daily Yomiuri. The Japanese human space program is now at a crossroads. To build or not to build human spaceflight capability is the question. China and soon India have or will soon have human launch capability in Asia. There has been no public mention of Japanese interest in contracting with the Russian space agency like the US.
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