Comparison of Asian national space programs
Country Rocket Burn time Specific impulse ( Vac . ) Thrust ( Vac . )
India S200 booster rocket stage 130s 274.5s 5,150 kN ( 1,160,000 lb f )
Japan SRB-A series solid fueled rocket boosters 100s 280s 2,260 kN ( 510,000 lb f )
Israel Shavit 's first stage 82s 280s 1,650 kN ( 370,000 lb f )
Comparison of key technologies -- Launch vehicle technology
First successful independent launches ( rocket/satellite ) Main article : Timeline of first orbital launches by country Country Year Mission Japan 1970 Lambda-4S/Ohsumi China 1970 Long March 1/Dong Fang Hong I India 1980 SLV/Rohini D1 Israel 1988 Shavit/Ofeq 1 Iran 2009 Safir-1/Omid North Korea 2012 Unha-3/Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2 Solid fuel rockets
Several Asian countries have space programs and are actively competing to achieve scientific and technological advancements in space, a situation sometimes referred to as the Asian space race in the popular media as a reference to the earlier Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. Like the previous space race, issues involved in the current push to space include national security, which has spurred many countries to send artificial satellites as well as humans into Earth orbit and beyond. A number of Asian countries are seen as contenders in the ongoing race to be the pre-eminent power in space.