Category Archives: Japan

Friday / 23 Mar 2018

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Japan Funds Space Start-Ups And Considers Lunar Land Ownership Laws, India Researching Lunar Habitats

Japan Government To Offer US$940M (100B Yen) To Space Start-Ups To Double The Scale Of $11B Space Industry In Japan By 2030s; Planning To Give Commercial Companies Up To $100,000 Each, Japan Also Considering Drafting Laws Similar To USA And Luxembourg For Ownership Of Space Materials & Property; India In Talks With Japan For Lunar Polar Exploration Through 2018 Meetings, Hopes For Mission Proposal By March 2019; India Junior Minister For Space Jitendra Singh Confirms ISRO R&D On Lunar ‘Igloo’ Habitats

Pictured (L-R): Japan Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India Junior Minister Jitendra Singh, ispace Founder Takeshi Hakamada; Credits: ISRO, JAXA, NASA

Friday / 2 Mar 2018

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Japan Hosting 3 International Space Exploration Forums And Legal Policy Strategies For Moon Base Event

The 2nd International Space Exploration Forum, Industries ISEF & Young Professionals ISEF Are Ongoing 28 Feb – 3 Mar In Tokyo; Workshops And Panelists Will Include (Counter Clockwise TL-TR) Jan Wörner (ESA), Mohammed Al Ahbabi (UAE), Pascale Ehrenfreund (DLR), Robert Lightfoot (NASA), Takeshi Hakamada (ispace), Giuseppe Reibaldi (Moon Village); On 4 Mar University Of Toyko Will Hold “Legal Policy Strategy For The Construction Of Moon Base & Utilization Of Space Resources” Featuring UNOOSA Director Simonetta Di Pippo, ESPI Director Jean-Jacques Tortora, American Space Council Sec. Gen. Scott Pace; There Is Also A Women In Space Session Led By Simonetta Di Pippo And Astronaut Naoko Yamazaki

Credits: JAXA, MEXT, WPSP, NASA, UNOOSA, ESPI

Wednesday / 7 Feb 2018

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JAXA To Hold Workshops On Lunar Polar Exploration & Global Exploration Roadmap

JAXA Announces 2nd Workshop On Exploration Of Moon Polar Region To Be Held Feb 19 To Deepen Discussion Toward International Collaboration On Instruments & Vehicles For Exploring Water Ice, In Conjunction With Workshop On International Space Exploration Coordination Group Global Exploration Roadmap Feb 18; Drawing On Results From 2-Day Workshop Dec 8-9, 2017; Both In Tokyo & Open To Public – Soliciting Participation From Private Sectors & Universities; Marks Rapid Growth Of Japan Interest In Moon, Including Human Exploration

Pictured: JAXA lunar scientist Makiko Ohtake (top left), JAXA workshop convener Hiroki Furihata; Credits: JAXA, Makoto Nakamura, SPC

Tuesday / 19 Dec 2017

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Japan Lunar Startup ispace Proceeds With Historic US$90M Investment From INCJ, Shimizu, JAL And Others

Lunar Resource Exploration Company ispace Raises 10 Billion JPY – Largest Ever Series A In Global Space Sector & Largest By Any Japanese Startup; Investors Include INCJ, DBJ, TBS, Shimizu, Suzuki, JAL & 6 Others; Planning Lunar Orbiter 2019 & Lander 2020; Lander Will Be Designed To Carry 30 kg Including 2 Rovers Each With Max 5-kg Payload; CEO Hakamada Hopes For 1000-Person Moon Base By 2040; ispace Runs GLXP Team Hakuto Aiming For 1st Japan Commercial Lunar Landing Q1 2018

Pictured: ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada; Credits: ispace, INCJ, DBJ, TBS, Shimizu, Suzuki, JAL

Friday / 1 Dec 2017

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JAXA And ISRO To Collaborate On Lunar Sample Return Mission

JAXA President Naoki Okumura And ISRO Chairman Kiran Kumar Sign Memorandum Of Understanding To Collaborate On Future Lunar Missions: Lander With Rover To Study Water & Return Soil Sample; Agencies To Finalize Implementation Agreement In Next 2 Months After Recent 24th Session Of Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum in Bengaluru; Also To Collaborate On Climate Change Monitoring

Credits: ThePrint, APRSAF, ISRO, JAXA

Thanksgiving Weekend Edition
Thu-Mon / 23-27 Nov 2017

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Lunar Interests / Plans Accelerate Globally

Moon Village Association / ESA Records Progress At ISU In Strasbourg, France; US National Space Council Working Scenarios For 3-7 Year Human Moon Return; India Early 2018 Chandrayaan-2 Moon South Pole Touchdown Could Startle Global Space Communities; China Expanding Astronomy From The Moon Activities With Chang’e-4 VLF Payloads And Technology; India-Japan Announce Lunar Sample Return Collaboration; Canada Space Agency LEAD Project To Support International HERACLES Moon South Pole Mission Concept; Prospective Candidates For ‘First Woman On The Moon’ Rising

 Credits: ESA/ Foster + Partners, WH.gov, ISRO, CAST, JAXA, SPC / ILOA, CSA

Inauguration Month Edition
January 2017

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Human Moon Lander Imperative, 2020-2025:
To Enable 21st Century Solar System Complete

2018 SLS / Orion EM-1 First Mission Planned For Cislunar Capability Signals Opportunity For Human Lunar Lander Enterprise And Development; American Independents Such As Golden Spike, Astrobotic, Moon Express, Shackleton Energy, Canadensys, ILOA, As Well As Blue Origin, SpaceX, Bigelow Among Others, May Collaborate Through Public-Private Partnerships Bi-Nationally, Multi-Nationally With Canada, China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe, Japan, Russia, USA, And Other Nations Globally; American And International Space Community May Welcome Progressive, Constructive Initiatives From New U.S. President And Administration, While Remaining Vigilant Against Regression; New U.S. President Could Enable Humanity To Reestablish And Advance Itself As Multi World Species, With Women, Men On The Moon And 21st Century “Stretch Goal”

Credits: SPC, ILOA, NASA, Space Dev

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 18-21 November 2016

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Japan Epsilon Launch Set For 20 Dec, Intended To Carry SLIM Lander To Moon 2018-19

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The 2nd JAXA Epsilon Rocket Launch Planned 20 Dec Lofting ERG Satellite Should Further Qualify Technology Enabling 1st JAXA Lunar Landing With Smart Lander For Investigating Moon (SLIM); Epsilon Launch Estimated At US$38M (Half Cost Of Predecessor M-5), Uses H-2A Solid Booster, M-5 Second & Third Stages; SLIM To Test Technologies For SELENE-2 (Lander & Rover) And Future Human Missions; JAXA, ISAS, Lunar & Planetary Laboratory ‘Workshop On Planetary Science Enabled By Epsilon Class Missions’ 15-16 Nov Establishing Potential International Collaborations & Inputs For SLIM, Penetrator Probe For Moon Or Airless Bodies, DESTINY+ For Meteor Shower Study

Pictured: ISAS Associate Professor Shinichiro Tokudome (responsible for developing Epsilon propulsion systems & integration)

Credits: JAXA, ISAS

Special Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 Oct 2016

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First Woman On The Moon:
Chinese? American? Other?

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While 46 Of The 60 Women Astronauts Are American, NASA Has No Plans To Put 1st Woman On Moon, Reclaim Greatest Advance In Human History / Multi World Species, Reach New Frontier Of Moon South Pole; China May Be Well Positioned To Put 1st Woman On Moon As Chang’e, Tiangong, Long March Rocket Programs Prove Reliability, And Planning Shows Step-By-Step Logical Progression; Russia & ESA Hope For Eventual Human Lunar Bases, Japan Plans Human Lander After SELENE-3, Canada Participating In ISECG Road Map Which May Include Moon Missions & On NASA Robotic Resource Prospector Mission 2018, S Korea Focusing On 1st Moon Orbiter 2018, Robotic Lander / Rover 2020

Pictured: L-R, T-B: Wang Yaping, Liu Yang (China), Julie Payette (Canada), Naoko Yamazaki (Japan), Yelena Serova (Russia), Yi So-yeon (S Korea)

Credits: CNSA, NASA, CSA, KARI, RSA, JAXA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 23-26 Sep 2016

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The Moon, Mars And A Multi World Species

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The Moon, Earth Closest Celestial Neighbor / The ‘8th Continent’, And The New Frontier Moon South Pole May Be The 1st And Most Logical Step Toward Establishing & Sustaining Humans As A Multi World Species And Exploring Solar System Complete; Luna Is Almost 600 Times Closer To Earth Than Mars On Average; Projections Indicate Human Moon Missions Could Occur Within 5-7 Years For ~US$10B; Countries China, India, Japan, Russia, S. Korea, Europe & Commercial Entities ILOA, Moon Express, Astrobotic, Canadensys, Bigelow, Blue Origin And Others Are Making Moon Missions A Priority

Pictured: Multi World Explorers Remaining

Credits: NASA, ILOA, SPC, ESA