History

1958 The first Japanese-made planetarium, exhibited at Science Expo held at Hanshin Park.
First Japanese-Made Planetarium
After World War II, Chiyoda Optical Seiko Co., Ltd. (predecessor of Minolta Co., Ltd.) began immediately developing a Japanese planetarium projector.
The first projector was manufactured in September 1958.
1963 Planetarium section established at the technical center of Minolta Camera Co., Ltd in Sakai, Osaka.
1970 “MS-15” installed in DeAnza and Foothill College at California, USA. The first Minolta Planetarium on American soil.
1985 The new generation of planetarium “INFINIUM” exhibited at Tsukuba Science Expo ’85.
INFINIUM
The INFINIUM was the world's first successful space simulator using a single-globe, single-lamp, star plate projection system. After its premier at the Tsukuba Science Expo '85, it was transformed into a permanent facility at the Tsukuba Expo Center.
1988 To meet the growing planetarium market and the needs of consumers, Minolta Planetarium Co., Ltd. was established.
1994 The small optical projector simulating space travel “COSMOLEAP” installed in Sanyo Girls’ Senior High School at Hiroshima.
1994 The first planetarium to combine an optical star projector, the “INFINIUM α”, with a fulldome digital projector premiered at the 1994 IPS Conference in Cocoa, Florida, USA.
1997 The first “GEMINISTAR”, the world’s first integrated planetarium installed in Discovery Park Yaizu at Shizuoka.
2001 The world’s first full-color, single-projector digital planetarium “MEDIAGLOBE” installed in Kazuaki Iwasaki Space Art Gallery at Shizuoka.
MEDIAGLOBE
The MEDIAGLOBE was the world’s first fulldome, full-color, single-projector, single-lens digital planetarium that combined sky functions with built-in audio and multimedia projection capabilities.
2003 Company name changed to Konica Minolta Planetarium Co., Ltd. as a company group of Konica Minolta, Inc.
2004 Re-opened “Sunshine Planetarium” under direct management, currently named Konica Minolta Planetarium “MANTEN” in Sunshine City.
2008 Development and sales of “SUPER MEDIAGLOBE-II”, a 2.4K resolution single-projector digital planetarium.
2012 Opening of the Konica Minolta Planetarium “TENKU” in TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN® as a second direct management planetarium theater.
2015 Development and sales of the “Media Globe Σ (Sigma)” and “Infinium Σ (Sigma)”, start of the new “Σ” series of digital and optical planetarium projectors.
2017 Starts designated management and operation of the "Fukuoka City Science Museum Dome Theater".
2018 "Konica Minolta PLANETARIA TOKYO" opens in Yurakucho, Tokyo, as the third direct management planetarium theater and Japan’s first planetarium theater complex consisting of two dome theaters.
2019 Development and sales of the “DYNAVISION-LED”, start of the new LED Dome System.
DYNAVISION-LED
The DYNAVISION-LED is a new LED imaging system that forges unprecedented and innovative technologies by arranging self-luminous LED elements on a dome-shaped or curved screen. "DYNAVISION" is a registered trademark of Konica Minolta Planetarium Co., LTD.
2019 Konica Minolta, Inc. (Konica Minolta) acquires RSA Cosmos, a top global manufacturer of digital planetariums. Development and sales of  "Media Globe Σ SE", start of the new digital planetarium solution for the Japanese market through joint development with RSA Cosmos.
2021 “Konica Minolta Planetarium Manten Nagoya“ opens in Nagoya, Aichi, as the fourth direct management planetarium theater and is equipped with the world’s first DYNAVISION-LED dome.
2022 “Konica Minolta PLANETARIA YOKOHAMA“ opens in Yokohama, Kanagawa, as the fifth direct management planetarium theater and is equipped with the DYNAVISION-LED dome.

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