Tanegashima Space Center, Space center in Minamitane, Japan

Tanegashima Space Center is a JAXA facility on the southeastern tip of Tanegashima, in Minamitane, Kagoshima Prefecture. It covers about 9.7 million square metres and includes the Takesaki Range, the Osaki Launch Complex and the Yoshinobu Launch Complex. Two red-and-white lattice towers stand on a leveled hilltop, with two slimmer masts beside them and low white and grey buildings at their bases.

Japan chose Tanegashima as its rocket launch site on 24 May 1966, and construction began on 17 September 1966. A small rocket flew from the site on 17 September 1968, and the center opened on 1 October 1969 under NASDA. The island was picked because it lay near Japan's southern limit at a time when Okinawa and the Ogasawara Islands were not yet returned.

The Space Science and Technology Museum near the center shows rocket history and technology in Japan. Its displays are mostly in Japanese, with English tour pamphlets available. The center's abbreviation TNSC avoids confusion with JAXA's Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC).

The site is best reached by car or bus from Minamitane, with driving taking around 50 minutes along coastal roads. Access may be limited depending on rocket launch activities.

The center operates two specialized launch pads designed to support different types of carrier rockets. This separate infrastructure allows multiple missions to be conducted in quick succession.