NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Masahito Moriyama have signed an agreement to advance sustainable human exploration of the Moon. As a result, Japan will design, develop, and operate a pressurized rover for crewed and uncrewed exploration on the Moon. On the other hand, NASA will provide the launch and delivery of the rover to the Moon as well as two opportunities for Japanese astronauts to travel to the lunar surface.

In this Space Café Radio Geopolitics, SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening spoke with Prof Kazuto Suzuki about Japan's SLIM mission, which landed on the moon successfully. They discuss the purpose and challenges of the mission, as well as the geopolitical implications and future plans for Japan's involvement in lunar exploration.

The JAXA SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) mission soft-landed on the Moon on the night of Friday 18 to Saturday 19 January 2024 Japan Standard Time. JAXA would eventually confirm a successful precision landing for SLIM a few hours later. SLIM landed, but had an “attitude problem,” its position preventing its solar cells from receiving proper illumination.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced on the 25th of December that the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) was successfully inserted into lunar orbit at 16:51 JST on the 25th of December. SLIM launched on the 6th of September alongside JAXA’s X-ray imaging and spectroscopy Mission (XRISM). Whilst XRISM remained in orbit around the Earth investigating cosmic X-ray sources, SLIM went to go in orbit around the Moon.

On November 16, 2023, ispace, inc. from Japan unveiled the final design of its micro rover, which will be transported to the surface of the Moon by its lunar lander as part of exploration activities during Mission 2. This mission 2, part of the HAKUTO-R lunar exploration program, will serve as the company’s second technological demonstration, with the objective of further validating the lander’s design and technology, and ispace’s business model, to provide reliable lunar transportation and data services.

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Government of Japan, in cooperation with the Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech), are providing opportunities for students from developing countries to study nano-satellite development. As a result, the Post-graduate Study on Nano-Satellite Technologies (PNST) Fellowship Program is making three slots in the Master Programme and three slots in the Doctoral Programme available. The program will also cover tuition fees and provide a stipend to cover living expenses. As a result, students are invited to submit their applications by 5 January 2024 and follow in the footsteps of more than 60 graduates over the years.

ispace, Inc. has announced today that the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has selected it for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant worth up to approximately $80 million (12 billion Yen). The SBIR Project is a large-scale technology demonstration for startup companies in Japan conducting innovative research and development with the purpose of implementing these new technologies. 

Astroscale Japan has been selected by the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for its Small and Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop an on-orbit inspection demonstration mission that will image and diagnose a large, defunct satellite in space. 

Sierra Space, subsidiary of private aerospace contractor Sierra Nevada Corporation, announced on the 19th of September that it raised new funds at a $5.3 billion valuation, reports CNBC.

The X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) is ready to launch on 26 August 2023 to observe the most energetic objects and events in the cosmos. In doing so, it will unveil the evolution of the Universe and the structure of spacetime. XRISM will tentatively launch from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at 09:34 JST / 01:34 BST / 02:34 CEST. The mission is a collaboration between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA, with significant participation from ESA. In return for providing hardware and scientific advice, ESA will also receive 8% of XRISM’s available observing time.