TOKYO — The Nov. 6 launch of the first of a new generation of low-cost Earth observation satellite platforms built by NEC Corp. for the Japanese government comes as the company looks to make further inroads in the international commercial market with a range of satellite offerings.

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A graduate of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where he won the Horgan Prize for Excellence in Science Writing, Paul Kallender-Umezu is co-author of “In Defense of Japan: From the Market to the Military in Space Policy” (Stanford University...