The acceptance firing tests on the LE-9 engine to be mounted on the H3 Launch Vehicle Test Flight No.2 were carried out on October 15 and October 26 and, after an evaluation of the acquired data, the engine in question was accepted. The latter half of the LE-9 engine Type 1A qualification firing test will be conducted at some future point.

Given this progress, we hope to launch the H3 Launch Vehicle Test Flight No.2 this fiscal year, and we are carrying out launch site operations at the Tanegashima Space Center and making other preparations for a reliable launch.

As announced this week on November 14 and 15, astronaut ONISHI Takuya has been selected for a long-duration mission onboard the International Space Station (ISS). This will be Onishi's second stay on the ISS, his first being in 2016. We would also like to inform readers that astronaut YUI Kimiya's scheduled 2024 ISS expedition has been changed to 2025.

It has been about three months since astronaut FURUKAWA Satoshi started his own long-term stay on the ISS, where he has been working on in-orbit demonstration tests among his many other tasks.

Let’s look at one of his achievements in orbit.

We received a report that a major hurdle in the demonstration testing of Int-Ball2, the successor to the JEM Internal Ball Camera (commonly called Int-Ball), an in-vessel drone robot that supports astronauts' activities on the ISS, had been successfully overcome on November 7. This demonstration testing was being conducted by Furukawa in cooperation with ground staff.

Astronauts currently set up cameras themselves to take photos and videos inside the Japanese Experiment Module, or Kibo. Int-Ball2 will be a robot capable of moving around Kibo by remote control from the ground and taking photos and videos in the place of astronauts when and from where they are needed.

In addition to the demonstration tests inherited from the first model – the ability to fly freely in three-dimensional space and the ability to remain completely stationary in the air – the second model achieved automatic docking and release with the charging port for the first time. A major step forward has been made toward eliminating astronauts' photography workload.

On November 1, NASA astronauts Loral O'Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli conducted an ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA). Furukawa worked with other crew members to manage the progress of preparations leading up to the start of the EVA, including assisting the astronauts in donning their EVA suits. Smooth preparations are essential for EVAs to be carried out safely and as planned. We were informed that Furukawa, as a function of his background as a doctor, had carried out each of the preparatory steps carefully and systematically, including one of the most important, denitrogenation to prevent decompression sickness. We have also heard that the other participating space agencies had nothing but praise for his long hours of work before and after the EVA.

On October 24, an in-orbit communication event – “Presentations for Astronaut Furukawa! ‘Recommended Missions’ from Space-loving University Students” – was conducted. Education and public relations are among the purposes of such in-orbit communication events between the ISS and the ground.

Four university students with a strong interest in space were selected in an open competition for this event and, after choosing their "Recommended Missions" from among Kibo's missions, they gave presentations to astronaut Furukawa and the live-streaming audience. When explaining the details of Kibo's missions, the focus tends to be on technical difficulties, but the four university students’ presentations discussed the importance and potential of their chosen "Recommended Missions" in their own words and in an easy-to-understand manner. For example, one student who discussed his expectations for "life science experiments in space” shared his family's nursing care experience in explaining how elucidating the mechanisms of muscle atrophy and bone loss that occur in astronauts under microgravity will lead to the development of prevention and treatment methods for bedridden patients on the ground and to solutions for issues facing an aging society. The four participants said that they were able to deepen their understanding of these missions through advance preparation, and the results of this preparation were undoubtedly demonstrated in their presentations.

The event is archived on the JAXA YouTube channel, so please take a look.

He will have to carry out a great number of tasks within a limited period of time during his stay on the ISS, but we believe that Furukawa will continue completing these in-orbit tasks one by one carefully and steadily in close cooperation with ground controllers and researchers.

Lastly, we would like to introduce some symposiums and other events scheduled for late November and December.

As already announced on JAXA’s official website, JAXA Symposium 2023 – entitled “Passion for Challenges” – will be held on November 25, offering you a chance to feel the enthusiasm of people working on the frontlines of research and development. This year’s symposium will again be streamed live on YouTube, so please be sure to tune in.

Next, there will be two open forums hosted by the Aviation Technology Directorate.

The first is the 1st Open Forum of the Aircraft Life Cycle DX Consortium, which will be held on November 29. The Aircraft Lifecycle DX Consortium was established in June of this year, and is currently formulating a vision for the future to achieve the goals of expanding the base of Japan's aviation industry and strengthening its international competitiveness through digital transformation (DX), as well as fostering human resources who will be responsible for the aviation industry’s DX in the future. This forum will introduce the efforts being made to develop this vision for the future and the research and development that have begun through specific initiatives.

The second will be the 8th Open Forum of the WEATHER-Eye Consortium on Weather Impact Protection Technology on December 5. The effects on aircraft operation of special weather conditions such as snow, ice, lightning, and volcanic ash that can cause aircraft accidents and flight delays are particularly problematic in Japan, and work is underway on developing the technologies necessary to solve these issues. In addition to introducing these technologies, the Consortium hopes to uncover the potential needs of aviation users and find new partners who are willing to participate in solving a variety of issues.

JAXA will also be holding the JAXA SDGs Symposium on December 8 to offer status reports on SDGs initiatives in the aerospace field, including JAXA's contributions to achieving the SDGs mainly through Earth observation satellites and research on carbon-neutral aviation technology. The symposium is designed to deepen participants’ interest in space and aviation SDGs by inviting experts in SDG research and representatives from private companies actively involved in SDG-related activities to serve as speakers.

We hope you will join us at this very busy time of year.