Ahead of the United Nations Water Conference 2026 to be held in Abu Dhabi in December 2026, H.E. Hani Sewilam, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Arab Republic of Egypt (Photo：The third person from the left); H.E. Abdullah Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability of the United Arab Emirates (Photo: The third person from the right);—who were visiting Japan for the “International Symposium on the Future of Water” to be held at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation on July 28—　visited JAXA’s Tsukuba Space Center on July 27, 2026. They were joined by the Honorable Yoko Kamikawa, Member of the House of Representatives of Japan (Photo: The second person from the left) and other distinguished guests.
During the visit, JAXA introduced its initiatives for water disaster mitigation and water resources management utilizing satellite data and presented practical examples of the use of Earth observation satellite data. The participants also engaged in active and productive discussions on these topics.
The visit is anticipated to contribute to further advancing the application of space technology toward addressing global water challenges and strengthening international cooperation.

The Kibo-ABC Initiative, comprising space agencies and organizations across the Asia-Pacific region, including JAXA, has opened registration for the Space Harvest Ideathon, an international educational program conducted under the framework of Space Seeds for Asian Future (SSAF).

The Space Harvest Ideathon invites ideas related to plants and cultivation methods for food production in space, with an eye toward future human space exploration and long-term stays on the Moon and Mars. The program consists of the following two categories.

What to Grow
Ideas for plant seeds suitable for space food production
We are seeking ideas for plants that can contribute to nutritional management and improve quality of life (QoL) during space missions.

How to Grow
Ideas for growing plants in extraterrestrial environments
We are seeking ideas on plants, cultivation methods, and growing environments suitable for microgravity conditions aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and spacecraft, as well as for harsh extraterrestrial environments such as the Moon and Mars. Participants will conduct ground-based experiments based on their feasibility.

Dr. Hiroshi Yamakawa, President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) (right in photo), and Mr. Ngiam Le Na, Chief Executive of the National Space Agency of Singapore (NSAS) (left in photo), signed and exchanged a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on space cooperation for peaceful purposes on July 6, 2026.

Through the conclusion of this MOC, the two space agencies will serve as hubs for promoting research and development as well as economic cooperation among a wide range of stakeholders, including private companies and universities. The MOC is expected to contribute to further strengthening space cooperation between Singapore and Japan.

JAXA has started accepting applications from teams to participate in the 7th Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Kibo-RPC), which will be held from FY2026 to FY2027. Based on the English article content.

Kibo-RPC is a robot programming competition set aboard “Kibo,” the Japanese Experiment Module of the International Space Station (ISS). Participants develop programs to autonomously control an internal ISS robot and compete by completing assigned tasks as quickly and accurately as possible. In the 7th competition, participants will control JAXA’s Int-Ball 2 for the first time using the programs they develop.

Eligibility
Students up to graduate level from Kibo-RPC participating countries and regions, including Japan.

Application Period
July 6, 2026 – September 30, 2026, 23:59 (JST)

For details on the competition and how to participate, please refer to the web site below.

JAXA will provide the live coverage of the launch of H3 Launch Vehicle flight No.6, 30 configuration Test Vehicle.

Launch date : June 12, 2026
Broadcast start: 9:00 (JST)
Launch time: 9:53:59 (JST)
Launch site: JAXA Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC)
*The time is the 24-hour clock

The broadcast date and time are subject to change.