JAXA President Monthly Regular Press Conference



Date and time: 12:50 to 1:35 p.m. on September 19 (Thu.)
Venue: JAXA Tokyo Office Presentation Room (B1 floor)
MC: Koji Terada, JAXA Public Affairs Department Director
◦ Opening statement
As you already know, JAXA launched the first Epsilon Launch Vehicle (Epsilon-1) at 2:00 p.m. on September 14 (Sat., Japan Standard Time) from the Uchinoura Space Center (Kimotsuki-cho, Kagoshima Pref.) The Epsilon flew smoothly, and its payload, the Spectroscopic Planet Observatory for Recognition of Interaction of Atmosphere "HISAKI" (SPRINT-A) was injected into its scheduled orbit. The HISAKI has been under initial inspection, and it is now in good condition. It is expected to start observations in cooperation with other telescopes in space and on the ground in mid November. As the Epsilon launch was postponed twice, I feel that we may still have some room for improving our operations. We would like to diligently study the operations to incorporate our study results into future launches.

Reference

Topics

I. Safety, security and disaster prevention
II. Industrial promotion
III. Education, promotion, and international cooperation


I. Safety, security and disaster prevention


(1) KOUNOTORI4 mission completed
The KOUNOTORI4, cargo transport vehicle to the International Space Station, was launched by the H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 4 from the Tanegashima Space Center on September 7 (Sat.), and has completed its mission.


  • KOUNOTORI4 launch by H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 4
      Launch date: August 4 (Sun.), 2013
      Launch time: 3:48:46 a.m. (Japan Standard Time)
      Launch site: Yoshinobu Launch complex at Tanegashima Space Center
      (The first launch after technological transfer to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.)

Reference
  • KOUNOTORI4 Mission completion (all dates and times are JST.)
      ISS berthing time: 3:38 a.m. on August 10 (Sat.)
      ISS departure time: 1:20 a.m. on September 5 (Thu.)
      Estimated re-entry time: 3:37 p.m. on September 7 (Sat.) (at an altitude of about 120 km)
      Estimated water landing: 3:49 p.m. - 4:05 p.m. September 7

Reference
  • SPRINT-A launch by Epsilon-1
      Launch date: September 14 (Sat.), 2013
      Launch time: 2:00 p.m. (Japan Standard Time)
      Launch site: Uchinoura Space Center

Reference

(2) Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo"
JAXA is now studying new utilization of the Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo" at the International Space Station (ISS.) The Japanese government has also strictly advised us of the efficient and meaningful application of the Kibo, thus we are reviewing a new method of collecting and prioritizing themes for the utilization.
I think we shall select more emphasized themes as the ISS's operation period is limited till 2020 under the current schedule.

II. Industrial promotion


(1) Low sonic boom design concept demonstration second phase test (D-SEND#2)
The first experiment of the second phase low sonic boom design concept demonstration project (D-SEND#2) was held at the Esrange Test Site near Kiruna in Sweden on August 16 (local time.) Unfortunately, we were not able to collect data of the initial phase as the test vehicle deviated from the estimated flight trajectory.
JAXA formed a team for a cause investigation and countermeasures immediately after the first test. (The team is led by the Director of the Program Management and Integration Dept., Institution of Aeronautical Technology.) According to the investigation on the flight data and the retrieved vehicle to date, the possibility of damage to the vehicle structure during flight and anomalies with onboard devices is low, hence we are analyzing other factors to try to find the true cause by the end of October. (The second test of the second phase has been postponed because it could not be conducted within the scheduled test period until August 24.)


Reference

III. Education, promotion, and international cooperation


(1) JAXA Symposium 2013 in Tokyo "New-born JAXA and its envisioned future position"
JAXA marks its 10th anniversary on October 1 this year. By taking this opportunity, we are reviewing the direction JAXA should head in and its future position in society based on our achievements in the past 10 years. We will introduce our review results at the JAXA symposium 2013 in Tokyo titled "New-born JAXA and its envisioned future position" in Hamamatsu-cho, Tokyo, on October 7.


  • JAXA Symposium 2013 in Tokyo "New-born JAXA and its envisioned future position"
      Time and date: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on October 7 (Mon.)
      Venue: Mielparque Hall (in Hamamatsu-cho, Tokyo)
      Prior registration required

Reference

(2) Tsukuba Space Center Special Open-house
JAXA will hold an open-house event at the Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC) on October 19 (Sat.)


  • Tsukuba Space Center Special Open-house
      Time and date: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm. on October 19 (Sat.) (The reception desk will be closed at 3:30 p.m.)
      Venue: Tsukuba Space Center (Tsukuba city in Ibaraki Pref.)

Reference