Fiscal year 2023 has started.
First, I would like to take this opportunity to inform you of the recent change of board members.
Vice President Katsuhiko HARA assumed his position as of April 1. Vice President HARA, who takes over the duties of former Vice President OYAMA, is responsible for Work-Life Support and Diversity Office, General Affairs Department, Human Resources Department, Finance Department, Procurement Department, etc. The other board members will remain the same, and together with Vice President HARA, all board members are determined to fulfill JAXA’s responsibilities.

Regarding the failed launch of Epsilon Launch Vehicle Flight No.6 and H3 Launch Vehicle Flight No.1, we have been conducting reproduction tests and verification tests, and narrowing down the cause of the failure based on these tests. The status of the investigation to determine the cause of each failures has been reported to the expert panel concerning investigation and safety for space development and utilization of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on an ongoing basis.
The next expert meeting on the Epsilon launch vehicle is scheduled for April 18, and we will report on the results of our investigation into the cause of the failed launch. In addition, we plan to report on the status of the investigation into the cause of failed launch of the H3 Flight No.1 at an experts' meeting within this month.

In order to obtain data for selecting optimal specifications for the development of the LE-9 engine in preparation for H3 Flight No.2 and beyond, a total of five firing tests were conducted at the Tanegashima Space Center during February 21 through April 8. These tests were completed as planned, and acquired data are under analysis at present. Using the analysis results, we will advance the development of the LE-9 engine for H3 Flight No.2 and beyond.

Astronaut WAKATA Koichi returned safely to Earth on March 12 after completing his long-term stay in space, spending 157 days on the International Space Station (ISS). This spaceflight also brought WAKATA's total stay in space to 504 days, making the longest record among the Japanese astronauts.

During Astronaut WAKATA’s long-term stay in space, a variety of experiments were conducted in collaboration with fellow crewmembers and ground staff. I would like to share some of such experiments with you.
From the end of February to the beginning of March when the return to Japan was approaching, four initial verification tests of the JEM Water Recovery System were conducted. Partial demonstrations of water recovery have been successfully conducted in previous tests, but this is the first time that the entire process of water recovery was successfully implemented. The results obtained through these technical demonstrations will be utilized in the development of the JEM Water Recovery System that is smaller than the current system on the ISS, requiring lower power with higher recovery rate and easier maintenance, and lead to technologies for future human space exploration.
Since the changes in the body induced by the microgravity environment in space are similar to the various problems faced by the elderly, such as bone and muscle atrophy and metabolic dysfunction, an experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of spaceflight using the model organism nematode worms. This experiment is expected to be effective in establishing ways to cope with the various effects associated with aging.
In addition, Astronaut WAKATA conducted his first two extra-vehicular activities. These extra-vehicular activities included the mounting of a platform for a new solar array, which is indispensable for the extension of the ISS operation until 2030.

Currently, Astronaut WAKATA is in Houston for a post-flight rehabilitation program, etc.
Rehabilitation is progressing well, thanks in part to the appropriate support provided by JAXA physicians and exercise teams regarding health management and exercise in orbit. We have received reports that the re-adaptation to the gravity on the ground has been good and Astronaut WAKATA is returning to life as normal as before the spaceflight.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all of you and the media for your support and encouragement of this mission. Thank you very much for your support.

The launch of the JUpiter ICy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft scheduled for last night has been postponed due to weather conditions. The rescheduled launch is set for today, April 14, at 21:14 JST. The project members and all concerned are once again bracing themselves for tonight's launch.
JUICE is equipped with ten observation instruments, and Japanese research institutes and researchers are participating in the development of six of them. Specifically, JAXA provides three instruments and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology provides one, and JAXA participates as a scientific research member in each of the instruments developed mainly by research institutes in Italy and the United Kingdom. Since the significance of Japan's participation in this project and its role were already explained at the press briefing on April 6, I will not go into details. We aim to further contribute to the field of planetary exploration, which is one of Japan's strengths, by inheriting the science and engineering results obtained from past exploration missions such as “Hayabusa” and “Hayabusa2,” the lunar orbiter “KAGUYA” launched in 2007, the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter “MIO” launched in 2018, and the satellite “ARASE” launched in 2016 to observe the near-Earth radiation belt, as well as the technologies cultivated through each of these missions.

As for Japan’s space exploration activities, it was announced that the lunar lander of the private lunar exploration program “HAKUTO-R” Mission 1 by ispace, inc., a Japanese space startup company, is scheduled to land on the lunar surface on April 26.
The private company is steadily taking up the challenge of lunar exploration. I would like to continue to send my words of cheer to all those involved in the operation who are devoting their efforts, despite hardships.
This lunar lander also carries a transformable lunar robot for JAXA's “LAMPE” mission, which aims to acquire data on the lunar surface. The transformable lunar robot has been jointly developed by four parties including JAXA, TOMY Company, Ltd., Sony Group Corporation, and Doshisha University. It is an ultra-compact and ultra-lightweight robot that can traverse in the harsh lunar environment.
The LAMPE mission will use a transformable lunar robot that will traverse the lunar surface to transmit behavior of the regolith and image data, etc. to the ground via the lunar lander.
By using acquired data, we aim to contribute to the realization of a lunar pressurized rover, which will play an important role in the Artemis mission, as well as to “light the way for future lunar exploration missions” through this mission.
We plan to provide information on the status after landing on the lunar surface as needed.

On April 11, Minister for Foreign Affairs Hayashi and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Emanuel signed the Exchange of Notes for cooperation between Japan and the U.S. under the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Under the intergovernmental agreement, NASA will provide JAXA with MEGANE (Mars-moon Exploration with GAmma rays and NEutrons) and the Pneumatic (P) Sampler. The two agencies will also cooperate each other in data communication and science aspects of spacecrafts. Following the intergovernmental agreement, JAXA and NASA are scheduled to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) next week that will define the specifics of the MMX cooperation. JAXA, with the cooperation of NASA and other international partners, is committed to the success of the MMX mission.