July 3, 2026 (JST)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
EDENA Inc.

EDENA Inc. (hereinafter “EDENA”; Representative Director: IDEGUCHI Yoshihisa)^*1 and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (hereinafter “JAXA”; President: YAMAKAWA Hiroshi) began a co-creation initiative for the “Conversational Cognitive Interface for Spacecraft” in June 2026 under the JAXA Space Innovation through Partnership and Co-creation (J-SPARC)^*2 framework. J-SPARC is a program aimed at creating new space-related businesses based on innovative ideas.
Through the co-creation initiative, the parties will use Mission Buddy, a conversational cognitive interface program, to explore the possibility of using conversations with probes to access operational data and past knowledge in probe operations under appropriate access control. The aim is to create new space communication experiences. For example, operators could speak to probes as if they were conversing with fellow operators and access past data, thereby helping reduce the cognitive burden on operators. In another example, children visiting a JAXA exhibition hall could ask a probe, “Where are you flying now?” and receive answers about the probe’s current journey and the purpose of its mission in the probe’s own voice.

In spacecraft operations, communication between operators is mostly carried out through conversations. Meanwhile, monitoring spacecraft status and searching for and reviewing past data generally rely on visual information, such as numerical data, documents, and charts displayed on screens. In addition to such information, for long-term operations, including those of probes and the International Space Station (ISS), the experience of personnel well versed in past data and operational knowledge is crucial. However, such experience constitutes tacit knowledge that cannot be fully conveyed through visual information, and passing on such knowledge has become a major challenge as operators change.

Furthermore, in public relations for science and technology, including space development, it is necessary to communicate information clearly to a wide range of audiences, regardless of their age or gender, while maintaining scientific accuracy and supporting multiple languages for audiences in Japan and overseas. Nevertheless, current communication methods mainly rely on one-way media, such as text and videos.

The probes developed by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) each have their own appeal, and information about them is being actively shared. In addition to this, if these probes themselves could converse with their supporters, it would help make the probes’ missions feel more familiar and possibly lead to new experiences that foster ongoing relationships between people and space.

As part of the co-creation initiative, JAXA and EDENA carry out the conceptual design, prototyping, and validation of Mission Buddy, a conversational cognitive interface that uses EDENA’s dialogue platform^*3 and personalized AI experience design foundation^*4, in addition to the latest speech synthesis technology and generative AI technology, and that allows probes, satellites, and other spacecraft to talk in their own voices and respond to users’ questions.
Mission Buddy can be positioned not merely as a mechanism for anthropomorphizing spacecraft, but as a cognitive interface that links researchers, operators, educational institutions, and general users through conversations based on mission information, observation data, operational knowledge, and research outcomes. This is expected to create value for a wide range of purposes, including helping users understand missions, providing educational support, facilitating scientific communication, passing on and utilizing knowledge, and disseminating information in multiple languages.
This initiative is underway from fiscal 2026 through fiscal 2027 as part of the business concept co-creation phase under J-SPARC to verify the value of the conversational cognitive interface by developing prototypes and demonstrating them at actual operational sites and in the Communication Hall of Space Science and Exploration at ISAS. It focuses on spacecraft, including probes and satellites, that are currently in operation or scheduled for future operation, and examines the possibility of conversational experiences that reflect each mission’s characteristics and narrative style.

The co-creation initiative aims to create a future in which space missions shift from objects whose information is presented by third parties to entities that talk to people, respond to their questions, and foster relationships with them. As the first step toward realizing a human-spacecraft relationship in which both parties take on difficult missions together through dialogue, as depicted in science fiction films, this initiative will create new experiences that allow anyone to feel a personal connection to space missions.
The conversational cognitive interface is also expected to be applied to a wide range of areas, going beyond space development, as a foundation for conveying complex science and technology information clearly, accurately, and in multiple languages. Going forward, the initiative aims to create a new communication model that connects science and technology with society through uses such as permanent installations in exhibition halls and science museums, streaming content, educational programs, and support for passing on technical expertise.