We are pleased to have the first in-person monthly press conference in several years.

I’d like first to give a brief report on the 34th International Symposium on Space Technology and Science (ISTS), which is being held in Kurume City in Fukuoka from June 3 to 9 (today). ISTS is known as Japan’s largest international academic conference in the space field. JAXA is involved in the operation of the event, with Dr. SHIMADA Toru, a emeritus professor at JAXA’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, serving as Chairperson of the organization committee, in addition to a number of representatives from JAXA participating in different subcommittees as chairperson, co-chairperson and members.

This year’s event has been organized under the theme of “Space for All of Us.” The reasons for selecting this theme is related to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN agenda aimed to create a sustainable, diverse and inclusive society while ensuring that “no one is left behind,” and the commitment of those involved in space technology and science to contribution to achieving the SDGs through their research activities centering on space development and utilization. Under this main theme, many participants from in and outside of Japan have gathered to engage in vigorous discussions. I myself visited the venue on June 5 to attend day-one programs. Most sessions took place in an in-person format for the first time after two events in four years, which allowed me to enjoy talking face-to-face with researchers and others concerned. It was a truly meaningful day. On the back of technological innovations, space development activities are growing in various industries as well as the academic research sector. In the host city of Kurume, Fukuoka, I felt that the basis for supporting such efforts has been established in the local community.

Results of investigations on the failed launch of Epsilon-6 were reported at the Safety and Investigation Subcommittee held on May 19. The investigations proceeded smoothly to determine the cause of the failure, thanks to cooperation of many parties, including those from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and participating companies as well as experts from in and outside the project team and JAXA. Taking this opportunity, I’d like to express my appreciation to all those people for their valuable support and understanding.

Taking the report seriously, we will draw on and pass on lessons learned and experiences gained from the recent event, in order to ensure the ongoing progress and future development of JAXA’s projects for research and development.

Regarding the launch failure of the first H3 Lunch Vehicle, investigations and verifications are underway to find out the cause. The progress of the investigations will be reported as appropriate at Safety and Investigation Subcommittee meetings.

Also, a number of topics related to the second H3 Lunch Vehicle were on the agenda for the Space Development and Utilization Committee meeting taking place on May 24. Major topics were about the suggestion of boarding payloads for performance confirmation, and a progress report on the ongoing project of developing the type-1A LE-9 engine for the second and onward test flights.

At present, we are carrying out firing tests to obtain data for the type-1A LE-9 engine under development. The test is scheduled to be conducted at the Tanegashima Space Center for two sessions, of which the first was implemented on June 1. The second session will take place as soon as it is ready.

We are also moving forward with the development of Epsilon S Launch Vehicle, the successor to Epsilon. Currently, the project is in the process of performing firing tests for the third and second stage motors at the Noshiro Rocket Testing Center. The test for the third motor was carried out on June 6, and the data obtained are subject to detailed evaluations at present. The test for the second stage motor is scheduled for the middle of July.

On May 25, JAXA President Yamakawa and Dr. Phillipe Baptiste, CEO of the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), signed the Inter-Agency Agreement concerning cooperation in the field of space exploration, taking an opportunity afforded by the CEO’s visit to JAXA’s Sagamihara Campus.

JAXA and CNES have been promoting cooperation for more than 30 years since the 1980s. Over these years, the two agencies have pursued a number of joint missions. Major examples are related to: Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) mounted on the asteroid Ryugu explorer Hayabusa2; equipment developed by CNES to be adopted by the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) probe; CALLISTO project promoted by JAXA, CNES, and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) aiming to establish a set of reusable first stage launcher technologies; exchange and joint verification of satellite data related to greenhouse gas emissions; and technology research for reducing space debris.

The recent conclusion of the inter-agency agreement was made to revise the previous version, looking to boost the cooperation structure for future development based on the solid track record and trust relationship built by the two agencies over the past years.

In conjunction with this, the two organizations signed the Implementing Arrangement (IA) for expanding cooperation related to asteroid sample analysis, marking the first to be concluded under the revised agreement.

The IA has two major purposes: one is to extend the period of use of the infrared spectroscopy microscope (MicrOmega) provided by CNES to be installed in JAXA Extraterrestrial Samples Curation Center (ESCuC) to enable advanced analysis of the returned sample from Ryugu, which has made significant contribution; and the other is to promote a similar joint research for returned sample to be brought back from the asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex mission.

Going forward, we will continue with dialogue with CNES and the French business sector, looking to encourage cooperation with these entities.

JAXA performs scientific balloon experiments in Australia, with a focus on a number of themes unsuitable for being pursued in Japan due to the geographical conditions, such as long flights, on-land recovery of payloads, and observation of the southern sky. The experiment station has been set up on a balloon release site in Alice Springs in the country’s Northern Territory. This project is carried out according to the implementing arrangement concluded between JAXA and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation of Australia (CSIRO), while receiving support from the University of New South Wales and many other entities concerned. The recent program received new substantial assistance from the Australian Space Agency, and welcomed the head of the agency visiting the experiment station.

The 2023 Australian Balloon Experiment has run two programs. The first one aimed for high precision observation of cosmic gamma ray using an emulsion gamma-ray telescope (Gamma-Ray Astro-Imager with Nuclear Emulsion: GRAINE). On April 30, a large balloon bearing the special telescope was released, reaching an altitude of about 36 km and flying for over 24 hours before starting to descend. The balloon made a touchdown safely with the equipment on it.

The second program was to obtain data for future development of sample return mission, run on May 11. The experiment was performed using a Hayabusa-style sample return capsule model with the body enlarged to be able to accommodate future missions. The experimental model was dropped from an altitude of 39 km, and obtained evaluation data for the flight behavior at transonic and subsonic speed ranges as well as when deploying a parachute.

We are also planning to conduct a balloon experiment in Japan, using the Taiki Aerospace Research Field in Hokkaido. As was announced in the press conference held on May 25, the experiment is scheduled to start on June 19, releasing two large balloons and three small balloons. Results reports will be posted on the website of JAXA and other media.