Author: kitamura

Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co., Ltd., a think-tank and consultancy for a Japanese major financial group (“MURC”), and JTB Corporation, a major Japanese travel agency (“JTB”), have launched a trial to develop a one-stop service for local governments and private companies interested in the space industry to support their entry into the space industry. MURC and JTB will specifically provide the following services:1. Support for visits to spaceports and space industry centers for educational purposes;2. Research into the potential for expansion of the space industry in the region, and development of strategies and surveys that make use of the region’s strengths;3. Support for the organization of meetings and seminars ...

SORA-Q(Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2(LEV-2)), an ultra-compact transformable lunar robot developed by Japanese toy manufacturer TOMY Company, Ltd., together with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA), Sony Group Corporation, and Doshisha University, is aiming for the Moon. ‘SORA(宙)’ means universe in Japanese. As for the letter “Q”, it is named after the English words “Question” and “Quest”, the Japanese word “Kyu” (reads as ‘q’) means sphere, and the robot’s silhouette that resemble the shape of the letter “Q” in the alphabet. The robot is ultra-compact, weighing approximately 250g, and transforms from a spherical shape with a diameter of approximately 8cm into a robot on the Moon’s surface. SORA-Q can move freely on its ...

The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) is a museum located in Washington, D.C. that exhibits collections related to aircraft and spacecraft. NASM closed in March 2022 and partially reopened in October 2022 with eight new and renovated galleries. The rest of the building is still transforming, and the full building is anticipated to reopen in 2026. In the renovated galleries regarding space, you can learn about the history of space exploration in the U.S. (reaching the moon, exploring Mars, etc.). Also, you can find a number of iconic objects such as the command module Columbia and Neil Armstrong’s Apollo space suit. Further, they showcase the Artemis Project as a ...

To make a sustainable space base, humans are needed to build a sustainable agricultural system in the outer space. And to make this real, some studies and practices are taking place. The practices by the Lunar Farming Concept Studying Working Group from Japan are exactly the one of those. Its report of 2019 shows us that some agricultural plants are selected for space farming; rice plants, soy beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, lettuces and the others (mustard spinaches, for example). Compared to the earthy agriculture, there are less atmospheric pressure, less gravity, but more direct rays. Therefore, we are facing some important issues to overcome. And the study ...

While the role of commercial space systems is extending in security and economic society in Japan, there are growing concerns about cybersecurity due to the spread of digital technology in space systems and the advancing complexity of networks. Considering this situation, the Japanese government released the Guidelines on Cybersecurity Measures for Commercial Space Systems Ver 1.0 on 21 July 2022 to encourage business operators to take voluntary cybersecurity measures. The guidelines cover earth observation satellites and ground systems (satellite operation facilities, satellite data utilization facilities, development and manufacturing facilities) mainly operated by commercial companies, and cover the design, development, manufacturing, operation, maintenance, and disposal phases of satellite systems. The guidelines ...