As part of the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-4, eight CubeSats proposed by companies and institutions were launched aboard Rocket Lab Corporation’s Electron launch vehicle on April 23, and all of them were successfully inserted into orbit. They are currently being tracked and operated by the respective organizations that proposed these CubeSats.
JAXA has operated several small satellite-related programs, such as the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program, to provide organizations, including universities, research institutions, and private companies, with opportunities to conduct space demonstrations of parts, equipment, small satellites, and other related items they have developed.
In 2025, JAXA also launched the JAXA Space Technologies rapid Evaluation Program on Small satellite (JAXA-STEPS), which is aimed at providing more timely and efficient opportunities for space demonstrations. Through this program, JAXA will continue to help broaden the base in the small satellite field.

At a meeting of the Safety and Investigation Subcommittee of the Space Development and Utilization Committee of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), held on April 13, JAXA reported on the status of its investigation into the cause of the launch failure of the 8th H3 Launch Vehicle. Based on this report, the Safety and Investigation Subcommittee compiled an interim report, which was deliberated on and approved at a meeting of the Space Development and Utilization Committee on April 22. On April 23, at the H3 Launch Vehicle No. 8 Headquarters, MEXT, the findings of the cause investigation and proposed countermeasures toward resuming launches of the H3 Launch Vehicle were acknowledged as technically appropriate.

Taking the results of this cause investigation seriously, JAXA will commit itself to restoring trust in Japan’s mainstay launch vehicles and space transportation systems.

For the next launch of the 6th H3 Launch Vehicle (Type 30 Test Vehicle), JAXA will work together as one team with relevant companies to conduct sufficient validation and preparation toward a successful launch through final assessment and inspection of the launch vehicle, including ensuring the soundness of the Payload Support Structure (PSS).
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to experts from both inside and outside JAXA, MEXT, the Cabinet Office, relevant organizations, and companies for their generous cooperation and support in the cause investigation, as well as to the many members of the public who provided us with encouragement and constructive feedback.

In November 2024, JAXA and ESA signed the JAXA-ESA Joint Statement on Next Big Cooperations, recognizing that both organizations had long delivered successful outcomes through collaboration in various fields, including Earth observation, human spaceflight, and planetary exploration, and reaffirming the importance of continuing, expanding, and deepening their collaboration into the future.
In light of the United Nations’ designation of 2029 as the International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence, both organizations have also accelerated their exploration of the possibility of cooperation in fields such as planetary defence.
Against this background, Dr. YAMAKAWA Hiroshi, President of JAXA signed on May 7, with Dr. Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA, a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) to deepen collaboration in planetary defence and an Agreement for Collaboration on the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (RAMSES).

Planetary defence is an international initiative to detect asteroids and other celestial bodies approaching Earth at an early stage; accurately calculate their trajectories; assess the possibility of impact with Earth; and, if there is a risk of impact, consider and implement countermeasures to avoid or mitigate its effects.
As part of planetary defence activities, RAMSES aims to explore the asteroid Apophis, which will make its closest approach to Earth in 2029. This mission is intended to obtain scientific and technological knowledge in preparation for threats from future near-Earth objects.
Through this signing, RAMSES will be positioned as an ESA-JAXA joint mission. JAXA will continue to help realize this mission by leveraging Japan’s strengths, such as observation technology using the Thermal Infrared Imager (TIRI), Solar Array Wings (SAWs), and launch using the H3 Launch Vehicle.
In cooperation with overseas space agencies, including ESA, and the international community, JAXA will continue to play an active role in planetary defence initiatives to address a common challenge for humanity.

Dr. YAMAKAWA Hiroshi, President of JAXA signed a joint statement with Dr. Marta Ewa Wachowicz, President of the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), on April 15. This joint statement was one of the deliverables from the visit of Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland to Japan in April and was also mentioned in the joint statement issued by the Prime Ministers of Japan and Poland.

POLSA, established in 2014, is also one of the organizations involved in hosting the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) scheduled to be held in Poznań, Poland, in 2027. Poland is one of the countries in Europe showing significant growth in the space-related business sector.
In this context, JAXA intends to strengthen cooperation and deepen dialogue with POLSA to generate mutual benefits by exploring potential future collaboration in the space sector.

The last topic concerns collaboration with the Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC).

Since signing an agreement to promote collaboration in the use of observation data from the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2), also known as DAICHI-2, in 2017, VNSC and JAXA have promoted initiatives to address issues in disaster response, agriculture, and forestry.
The agreement was amended to include DAICHI-4, the successor to DAICHI-2, as an additional source of observation data to be shared for the promotion of data use, and was signed on April 28. On May 2, in conjunction with the Japan-Viet Nam Summit Meeting, this amended agreement was exchanged between Mr. ISHII Yasuo, Senior Vice President of JAXA, and Dr. Le Xuan Huy, Deputy Director General of VNSC, in the presence of Prime Minister TAKAICHI Sanae and Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.
Through this amendment, JAXA will promote efforts to strengthen flood monitoring in Viet Nam and, as part of the Space Applications for Environment (SAFE) initiative under the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF), advance research cooperation on the use of satellite data to reduce methane emissions from rice paddies.
This cooperation was identified as the top priority in the field of science and technology among the priority cooperation items confirmed at the Japan-Viet Nam Summit Meeting. JAXA will work to expand the use of satellite data for disaster monitoring as well as administrative and industrial purposes in Viet Nam.