Fiscal 2024 has started and it is already in the middle of April. JAXA has changed a substantial number of members of its Board of Directors, which took effect this month. As president, I will work closely with other members, specifically Senior Vice President ISHII Yasuo, five new Vice Presidents―OKADA Masashi, TAKIGUCHI Futoshi, MATSUURA Mayumi, INABA Noriyasu, and SATO Toshiaki― and two ongoing Vice Presidents―HARA Katsuhiko and KUNINAKA Hitoshi, aiming to make JAXA a stronger organization.

I would like to give a brief description on aerospace-related topics, choosing a couple of major ones from among many that occurred in March and April.
First, I am pleased to report that on March 12, Astronaut FURUKAWA Satoshi returned to Earth, having completed his six-month mission on the International Space Station (ISS). We have been informed that he is now engaging in the post space mission reconditioning programs as scheduled in the space center in Houston, the U.S.
Second is about JAXA’s Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration (CRD2). As we previously reported, Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J), a space debris observation satellite developed by Astroscale Holdings, Inc., CRD2 Phase I mission partner, was successfully launched on February 18 (Japan Standard Time) by Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket. We have received a report from Astroscale about the satellite operation going smoothly, having approached target large debris and planning to perform near-field control and other processes going forward. JAXA will work to help fulfill the mission chiefly through technical support.
Third is about the Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) satellite mission developed jointly by Japan (JAXA) and Europe (European Space Agency: ESA). The satellite was transferred to the Vandenberg Space Force Base in the U.S. state of California on March 10, to get prepared for the planned launch from the base. Ahead of the launch scheduled for May, JAXA is making immense preparations mainly for EarthCARE/CPR missions, including pre/post-launch run-through of satellite operation.

As just stated, each directorate and department is already busy with undertaking many missions from the start of the new fiscal year. And this fiscal year is the final year of the Fourth Mid- to Long-term Plan that covers seven years. We will move forward steadily to achieve goals set for the plan.

On April 10, 2024 (Japan Standard Time), the “Implementing Arrangement Concerning Lunar Surface Exploration Using the Pressured Rover” was signed by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT), Masahito Moriyama. The ceremony was held in NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. This is the first Implementing Arrangement signed under the “Framework Agreement Between the Government of Japan and the Government of the United States of America for Cooperation in Space Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, For Peaceful Purposes,” signed by U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs at the time Yoshimasa Hayashi in January 2023, with the participation of the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the signing ceremony.
On the following day of the signing ceremony, a joint press conference was held by the MEXT Minister and the NASA Administrator at JAXA’s representative office in Washington, D.C.
On behalf of JAXA, astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and I attended the signing ceremony and the press conference. It was a great honor to be a part of the historic moment of the signing.

According to this Implementing Arrangement, JAXA will engage in a range of processes related to the crewed pressured rover, from development and maintenance to operation, including ground control. The crewed pressured rover will be the world’s first-ever lunar surface rover supporting human activities on board without a coneventional spacesuit.
The Arrangement also sets forth opportunities for two Japanese astronauts to land and conduct activities on the lunar surface.
Additionally, a couple of official government announcement opportunities, particularly joint U.S.-Japan Declarations and fact sheets for the prime minister’s official visit to the U.S., were used to confirm relevant decisions, such as about the common goal of “establishing the first presence of Japanese astronauts on the moon after Americans in future Artemis missions,” and the fact of “the historic implementing arrangement signed for cooperation in the crewed lunar mission.”

The Prime Minister mentioned the official intention of stepping up Japan-U.S.cooperation for space development, in his speech to Congress held during the recent visit to the U.S. That was very encouraging and made me even more focused on our efforts.

Goring forward, Japan will take a leading role in supporting sustainable lunar surface activities and expanding the scope of human activities in the related missions. As I stated in the joint press conference of the MEXT Minister and NASA Administrator, JAXA will strive to advance the research and development of the crewed pressured rover, a task to be fulfilled for playing Japan’s roles in the Artemis program, as well as preparations for planned opportunities for Japanese astronauts to land and work on the moon. And, with respect to the recent Japan-U.S. cooperation arrangement, we will promote partnerships with international and industrial parties based on our long-established strong relationship with NASA, as we have done in the past.

JAXA hosted the 39th CEOS Strategic Implementation Team (SIT) meeting in Tokyo for a three-day period from April 9 to 11.

The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) is formed by the world’s space agencies operating earth observation satellites. This year marks the 40th year of its establishment. Participants in CEOS are from leaders of almost all the Earth observation divisions in the world’s major 34 space agencies. The list of members includes: (from North America) NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Canadian Space Agency; (from Europe) European Space Agency (ESA) and national space agencies of France, Germany, Italy, the UK and other countries; and (from Asia-Pacific) JAXA and Australian Space Agency. In addition, 30 international organizations including UN agencies have registered the membership. CEOS has two major objectives: to formulate international standards and rules related to Earth observation satellite data; and to maximize contribution to solving varied global challenges, mainly associated with climate change, biodiversity, the SDGs, marine issues, and natural disasters, to be made through Earth observation satellite operators facilitating international cooperation, principally by encouraging collaborations and sharing knowledge between space agencies and international institutions as well as promoting human resources development.
JAXA chairs the Strategic Implementation Team (SIT), the control center of CEOS’s practical activities, for two years in 2024 and 2025. Assuming this role for the first time in 13 years, we are making necessary arrangements to encourage cooperation among member agencies, facilitate strategy planning and execution, and acting as the command center of CEOS’s overall operations.

For the purpose of promoting the cooperative operation of the world’s Earth observation satellites, JAXA has set two priority issues to address as the Chair:1. to encourage cooperation initiatives to allow satellite observation data to be used effectively for developing climate change policies of the world; and 2. to ensure that greenhouse gas monitoring will be conducted on an ongoing basis and enhance cooperation for this purpose.
In the recent meeting, we invited representatives of non-space sectors, specifically stakeholders and specialists involved in the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and World Meteorological Organization (WMO), to join discussions on issues concerning utilization of Earth observation satellite technologies and data for developing climate policies as well as future cooperation initiatives. One important agreement reached was related to the Global Stocktake, a fundamental component of the Paris Agreement adopted at the 21st Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC (COP21). It is a mechanism for monitoring the implementation and evaluating the global collective progress made in achieving the agreed climate change goals. CEOS has decided to work on strategy building aimed at Earth observation satellite data adopted to provide a basis for decision-making processes at the next and second global stocktake scheduled in five years.

JAXA has scheduled the launch of three Earth observation satellite missions―EarthCARE/CPR, AROS-4, and GOSAT-GW―for this fiscal year. These missions will play an important role in supporting with monitoring of the present situation and prediction of future conditions by providing effective data. As such, they are expected to be adopted around the world to contribute to making better policies to adapt to and mitigate climate change. Through its two-year term of the office, JAXA will continue striving to take advantage of Japan’s strong satellite observation technologies, demonstrating leadership in encouraging the world’s major space agencies to contribute to concrete effective policies made for the Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement, and forest and greenhouse gas monitoring.

On March 27, JAXA announced that operation of the business co-creation platform “THINK SPACE LIFE” (“the Platform”), planned and operated as part of JAXA Space Innovation through Partnership and Co-Creation (J-SPARC) with the aim of creating a new space-related market in the domains of life and healthcare, would be transferred to the specified non-profit organization MIRATUKU.
Today, I will briefly describe the background and objective of transferring the Platform to the private-sector-led structure and JAXA’s future engagement in the Platform.

The Platform was launched in July 2020, and has since then continued to develop its activities for three years and eight months. JAXA promoted the Platform by providing knowledge and technical support for planning and operation of the overall scheme as well as deployment in space, while cooperating with incubation partners that assist in launching and developing new businesses and projects. The Platform has registered more than 230 companies and organizations to create business opportunities in the new territory of improving quality of life (QOL) in space, encouraging participants to bring technical and service capabilities and ideas in their strong or specialty fields to share in an open innovation framework. These activities have developed a sizable number of products, including 13 that were delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) and used by astronauts onboard, and seven more scheduled for delivery to the ISS in and after 2025 (as of March 31, 2024). Among the products deployed in space are exercise clothes for astronauts with anti-bacterial and other functions to reduce a discomfort feeling due to getting exercise on board the ISS, and detergent-based sheet-type destainer and deodorant items for clothing. In addition to the above, seven products were placed on the market for ground use.
Also, it is notable that out of 230-plus member organizations, upward of 95% are from non-space industries. The Platform should take advantage of this notable characteristic to enhance its activities in pursuit of new business opportunities and development. To this end, the Platform operator should ensure effective planning and execution of projects for QOL improvement of manned space missions while considering issues and needs of each participating company and giving appropriate advice.

In light of this, we have decided to transfer the operation of the Platform to MIRATUKU, a knowledgeable and well-experienced incubation partner since its inception, to further develop platform activities and pursue new achievements.
Accordingly, JAXA will shift focus of its engagement in the Platform to operational support. Undertaking the new role as operational supporter, we will work to enable participating companies and organizations to have deeper communication and achieve further business development while providing cooperation to the extent possible to help previous co-creation incubation partners become independent.

Following the recent case, JAXA will step up its efforts to generate new business through co-creation activities with the private sector and expand the aerospace-related market in cooperation with private industries.