JAXA received telemetry data from SHIKISAI and TSUBAME, confirming that their satellite attitude control system had transitioned to the steady state. Current status of both satellites is stable.
Subsequently, the following procedure occurred - power generation that supports the satellites’ operation by the deployed solar array wings, ground communications and sound attitude control that maintains those operations. Combined by the completion of the series of other operations, such as powering up of the bus and mission equipment, the satellites have entered the state where they can be sustained in orbit. This concludes their critical operations phase.
SHIKISAI and TSUBAME will take about three months to verify the function of its onboard equipment and instruments in space.

The H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 37 with the Global Change Observation Mission - Climate "SHIKISAI" (GCOM-C) and the Super Low Altitude Test Satellite "TSUBAME" (SLATS) onboard lifted off at 10:26:22 a.m. on December 23, 2017 (Japan Standard Time) from the Tanegashima Space Center.
The launch and flight of H-IIA F37 proceeded as planned. So did the separation of SHIKISAI and TSUBAME, which was confirmed respectively at approximately 16 minutes and 13 seconds and 1 hour and 47 minutes 59 seconds after liftoff.

The Soyuz Spacecraft with Astronaut Norishige Kanai onboard lifted off at 10:36 a.m. on December 17 (Sun., Japan Standard Time,) and docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on December 19 (Tue.). After the hatch to the ISS opened at 7:54 p.m., His first long-term stay there has started.
He will stay at the ISS for about six months as a crewmember of the Expedition 54/55, and will return to Earth in June on the Soyuz spacecraft (53S/MS-07).
Please keep following our updates and don't miss his activities in space. We are welcoming support messages from you!

The Soyuz spacecraft with Astronaut Norishige Kanai aboard was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome (Republic of Kazakhstan) at 16:21 p.m. on December 17 (Japan Standard time.) The Soyuz will dock with the International Space Station on December 19　(Tue.) JAXA will broadcast a live report of the Soyuz crew including Astronaut Kanai entering the ISS from 7:43 pm on December 19. Please watch it!

On December 11, 2017 (local time), JAXA and Japanese National Institute for Environmental Agency (NIES) made a collaboration agreement with European Space Agency (ESA) and on December 12, 2017 (local time), with German Space Center (DLR). The agreement, regarding remote sensing of greenhouse gases and related missions, was signed in Paris, France.
Through the agreement, the parties provide data to cross examine its validity, enabling them to fine tune Earth observation. JAXA will honor its end of the deal by making the data available from GOSAT and GOSAT-2.
JAXA, NIES, and the two other agencies are resolved to help achieve the contributions under the Paris Agreement and to promote global cooperation with other environmental organizations. Calibration and verification of remote sensing data will greatly support that agenda.

JAXA has updated the launch date of the Epsilon-3 which encapsulates the ASNARO-2. The Epsilon-3 launch, originally scheduled for November 12, 2017, was postponed as its electrical system needed further confirmation. JAXA has identified and taken countermeasures against the factor that delayed the launch. The new launch date will be January 17, 2018.

On November 17, Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC) and JAXA have agreed to cooperate in the field of Public Affairs.
JAXA will provide scale models to be exhibited at Vietnam Space Museum, which is under construction in Hao Lac Hi-tech Park in Hanoi. JAXA will also provide advice to VNSC on the museum exhibit and the operation of the museum.
Vietnam and Japan have close cooperative partnerships up to present in many fields, such as remote sensing satellites and applications, space experiments in "Kibo" and development and deployment of small satellites.
Today, new collaboration starts in the field of public affairs. JAXA would like to foster communication between VNSC and JAXA through this cooperation. We believe such efforts would further strengthen the collaboration with Vietnam, which shall lead to even closer and prospering Vietnam-Japan relationship.

Astronaut Soichi Noguchi was selected as a crew member of the International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 62/63. He will stay at the ISS for about six months from December 2019.
The ISS Expedition 62/63 will be the third spaceflight for Astronaut Noguchi. He was launched as a mission specialist (MS) aboard the Space Shuttle for its Return to Flight mission in July 2005 after selected as a JAXA astronaut in 1996, and also worked on board the ISS for 161 days as a flight engineer of the ISS Expedition 22/23 after launched as the first Japanese left-seater for the Soyuz spacecraft in December 2009.

The launch schedule of the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 37 (H-IIA F37) has been decided to be between 10:26:22 thru 10:48:22 a.m. on December 23 (Sat), 2017 (Japan Standard time). The launch will be performed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and JAXA.
H-IIA Launch vehicle No. 37 incorporates JAXA's newly developed outcome to insert SHIKISAI and TSUBAME into different orbit altitude respectively. It will expand opportunities of multiple satellite launch and take full advantage of the capability of H-IIA.

On October 16 through 20, 2017, the thirtieth Planetary Congress of the Association of Space Explorers will be held in Toulouse, France.
Astronaut Soichi Noguchi and Astronaut Takuya Ohnishi representing Japan, will be among approximately a hundred attending astronauts and members. The Planetary Congress, organized by the Association of Space Explorers (ASE), is annually convened to promote the exchange of space flight experiences in different cities of ASE host countries.

Image: The 30th Planetary Congress of the Association of Space Explorers, Toulouse, France

*Astronaut Noguchi, elected as ASE president in 2014, is in charge of organizing the thirtieth Planetary Congress.

The H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 36 with the MICHIBIKI No. 4 onboard lifted off at 7:01:37 a.m. on October 10, 2017 (Japan Standard Time) from the Tanegashima Space Center.
The launch vehicle flew as planned, and at about 28 minutes and 20 seconds after liftoff, the separation of the "MICHIBIKI No. 4" was confirmed.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, UNOOSA, launched a three year “KiboCUBE” programme in September 2015, which offered developing countries the opportunity to deploy small satellites from Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” on the International Space Station (ISS). This initiative aims to contribute to the technological advancement of space activities in developing countries, and its first and second round of applications have been conducted until now.
In the “Four Actions of Science and Technology Diplomacy to Implement the SDGs” produced under the Advisory Board for Promotion of Science and Technology Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), it is noted that the deployment of small satellites from Kibo will support the space technological development for emerging and developing countries. KiboCUBE is expected to also contribute to the achievement of the SDGs.
On September 26, JAXA held a media briefing with UNOOSA in the 68th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) at Adelaide, Australia. During the briefing, there was an announcement of the third round of KiboCUBE along with introduction of the programme.

Photo: Media Briefing at IAC 2017 in Adelaide September 26, 2017
Dr. Koichi Wakata, ISS Program Manager in JAXA (left), Mr. Luis Zea, Coordinators of the Project in Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (center), and Ms. Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of UNOOSA (right)

JAXA announces that the Epsilon 3 launch encapsulating the second Advance Satellite with New System Architecture for Observation (ASNARO-2) is scheduled on November 12, 2017. The launch window is 6 a.m. through 6:35 a.m., in Japan Standard time.
Epsilon launch is not new - the proceeding two were sent up to space. Epsilon 3 has had improved its mechanism for satellite separation. Preparation for the launch is underway.
On the day of the launch, there will be live feed from the JAXA Uchinoura Space Center. The details soon will begin to come out.

JAXA conducted a long-term experiment on mice under two different gravitational conditions – microgravity (μg) and artificial earth-gravity (1 g). This was JAXA’s first attempt using the newly developed mouse habitat cage units installed in the Centrifuge-equipped Biological Experiment Facility (Images) in the KIBO Experiment Module aboard the International Space Station. Following their 35-day habitation in space, JAXA, in collaboration with Tsukuba University and other academic institutions went through the analysis of the bone density and muscle mass of the space mice brought back to the Earth. μg mice experienced significant decreases in their bone density and muscle weights, which were not present in artificial 1 g mice. These data indicate that gravity determines the general body structure of animals. This result was derived through the comparison of the effects of altered gravitational conditions alone, eliminating other variations. At 10 a.m. (U.K. time), September 7, “Scientific Reports”, an online journal from the publishers of “Nature” published this research. The findings will advance space exploration and elucidate the evolutional process of animals on Earth, where the gravity is a principle force.

The H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 35 with the MICHIBIKI No. 3 onboard lifted off at 2:29 p.m. on August 19, 2017 (Japan Standard Time) from the Tanegashima Space Center.
The launch vehicle flew as planned, and at about 28 minutes and 37 seconds after liftoff, the separation of the "MICHIBIKI No. 3" was confirmed.

On July 12, 2017, an iceberg split off from Antarctica’s Larsen C iceberg. With use of ALOS-2’s wide-area observatory mode, JAXA was able to capture the entire calving image.
Larsen C, a floating platform of glacial ice on the east side of the Antarctic Peninsula, is among the largest ice shelves ringing Earth’s southernmost continent. The breakage, taking a chunk of its mass away from the Larsen C area, is now a matter of particular interest to glaciologists around the world, as it could also contribute to sea level rise.
In the past, partial fractures occurred in the area. However, the last calving event is incomparably massive, possibly causing the glaciers to accelerate that flow into Larsen C and more rifts to grow.
JAXA will continue the ALOS-2 operations to monitor the area.

JAXA announced the month-long project to invite the public to rename the Global Change Observation Mission – Climate (GCOM-C) and the Super Low Altitude Test Satellite (SLATS), both to launch together this fiscal year. After careful examination of the 12,895 applications, SHIKISAI, meaning colors in Japanese has been chosen as new name of GCOM-C, and likewise, TSUBAME, or swallow, of SLATS.
JAXA is sincerely grateful for the applications.
JAXA will update the SHIKISAI and TSUBAME missions. Continuous support by all is cordially appreciated.

JAXA is inviting all to write notes to cheer on the project members and the mission of Epsilon-3, to be launched this fiscal year.
The project members of the past series of Epsilon launches have drawn strength from the similar campaigns.
The notes sent to JAXA will be printed as part of the decal (sticker) attached to the body of the launch vehicle. JAXA appreciates the positive participation by many.

Application Deadline: 5 pm (JST), August 7, 2017
*The deadline has been changed.

The video of protein crystallization is up on Innovation Japan, Cabinet Secretariat's website - conducted by JAXA's astronaut Takuya Onishi in KIBO module on his last long term International Space Station expedition. JAXA's strategic partnership with Japanese biopharma, PeptiDream Inc. has been crystallized into this innovative experiment under near zero G.
It is part of JAXA's endeavor to help advance pharmaceutical research - our technology, business partnership and the hard-earned results are pushing back the frontiers in medicine.

The H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 34 with the MICHIBIKI No. 2 onboard lifted off at 9:17 a.m. on June 1, 2017 (Japan Standard Time) from the Tanegashima Space Center.
The launch vehicle flew as planned, and at about 28 minutes and 21 seconds after liftoff, the separation of the "MICHIBIKI No. 2" was confirmed.

Sayaka Wakayama (Advanced Biotechnology Center, University of Yamanashi), Teruhiko Wakayama (Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Yamanashi), Sachiko Yano (Space Environment Utilization Center, JAXA) and other researchers examined the damage that irradiation causes to mouse spermatozoa held in Japanese KIBO experiment module aboard the International Space Station. Using freeze-dried spermatozoa, the research team produced healthy offspring, and thus accomplished the unprecedented feat in biological sciences.
Their results were nominated in “In This Issue” of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, and were published on the website on May 22, USA time/ at 4 am, May 23, Japan time.

On March 31, in Tanegashima Space Center, LE-9 engine for the new H3 type of launch vehicles was installed on the facility’s firing test stand used for liquid fuel boosters. The test schedule will be available on the website as soon as determined.

JAXA confirmed completion of the commissioning phase of ARASE, formerly known as ERG, Exploration of energization and Radiation in Geospace. ARASE has entered its science operations phase. The call was made as the following procedure took place as scheduled and was confirmed; the satellite post launch orbital systems are in place, their functions are determined as fine, all monitoring instruments are installed, and the motions of the monitoring equipment are checked.
ARASE is in good condition, with all its onboard apparatus for science observations performing well since activated.

On March 26, Tanegashima space museum will reopen after its first renovation in 20 years. Among its new attractions are Liftoff Theater where visitors watch dynamic rocket launches, Kibo Photo Spot where photos can be taken that resemble zero gravity, and Rocket Garage where H-II Rocket No. 7 and other launch vehicles are on display.
The exhibition space of Masuda Tracking and Communication Station has also been updated.
JAXA cordially welcomes visitors.

Global sea ice extent hit record low, according to observations from Shizuku on Global Change Observation Mission on January 14, 2017. It is all time low in the history of GCOM-W operation that started in 1978, JAXA continues operation of Shizuku and GCOM-C and monitoring arctic sea ice extent, off the coast of Greenland Sea and the rest of the arctic circle.
Related information is also available at the following links:

On February 28, 2017, JAXA discontinues the operation of QZS-1, the First Quasi-Zenith Satellite MICHIBIKI. Control will be transferred to the Cabinet Office. For details, please refer to:

Global sea ice extent hit record low, according to observations from Shizuku on Global Change Observation Mission on January 14, 2017. It is all time low in the history of satellite operation that started in 1978, JAXA continues operation of Shizuku and GCOM-C and monitoring arctic sea ice extent, off the coast of Greenland Sea and the rest of the arctic circle.
Related information is also available at the following links:

The KOUNOTORI6 (HTV6, a cargo transporter to the International Space Station) left the ISS on Jan. 28 and re-entered the atmosphere at around 0:06 a.m. on Feb. 6 (Japan Standard Time.)
KOUNOTORI6 successfully completed its cargo supply mission to the ISS.

On January 16, 2017, from 6:10 p.m. - 7:50 p.m. (Japan time), a total of six microsatellites abroad HTV6 were successfully deployed into orbit from the Japanese Experiment Module ("Kibo").
These CubeSats were discharged on December 9 aboard the H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI6 and arrived at the ISS on December 14 ,2016.
On December 19, STARS-C CubeSat was also deployed from KIBO.

At 3:25 p.m., (Japan Standard Time) January 10, 2017, JAXA terminated its Engineering Test Satellite-VIII KIKU No.8 (ETS-III) transmission, thus brought a closure to the satellite’s operation.
KIKU No. 8 was built for demonstration and experiment, with the purpose of improvement of mobile communications system. When Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011 broke out, the satellite did the much needed service of providing the internet access for the afflicted region.
Launched on December 18, 2006, KIKU No. 8 marked its 3-year mission period and on December 18, 2016, completed its 10-year design life. The satellite’s fuel ran low that controlled its attitude and orbit after the decade long operation. In addition, an outdated satellite lying in space can undermine the operation of others. Therefore JAXA made a call to discontinue using the probe. KIKU No. 8 was thrown out of its stationary orbit and ceased to function.