After leaving railways he was snapped up by Japan's National Space Development Agency and was its president until he retired in 1977.

ECONOMIST: Hideo Shima

Criticised for developing launch vehicles that cost twice as much as American or European rockets, the National Space Development Agency has been trying to streamline operations.

ECONOMIST: The land of disappointments | The

"We've just collected images over Mali, which we've handed over to the armed forces because we believe they will be helpful to them in the peacekeeping mission over there, " says Seidu Mohammed, director-general of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).

BBC: Nigeria's space race