Canon joins space race by building a low-cost “mini-rocket” for Japan

Nikkei Asian Review reports:

Canon is helping Japan build a low-cost “mini-rocket” for future satellite launches as private companies seek to give the country’s lagging space industry greater thrust.

Engineers from Canon Electronics, a unit of the Japanese imaging devices maker, have joined a team led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, that is building what stands to be the world’s smallest satellite launch vehicle — about the size of a utility pole.

The company’s experience designing and manufacturing devices such as digital cameras will help the team choose the best rocket parts as well as make key control instruments smaller and lighter. Read the article…

Well, wow, Canon is expanding to the universe! :-) They may be late on the mirrorless bandwagon but they might be the first to shot beautiful JPGs in space.