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About Us
How we started
Since the Japanese government announced their policy titled “Comprehensive Strategy on Science, Technology, and Innovation 2014 – A Challenge for Creating Japan in a New Dimension – (approved by the Cabinet on June 24, 2014),” public research institutions and agencies have been expected to perform strongly and contribute to innovation. Based on this strategy, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was re-organized in April 2015 and the Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center was established. Through this innovation hub center, we will develop more research projects and establish them within JAXA as a whole. To accomplish this, we will gather knowledge and specialists from various fields and create a new research team for their activities. The center is located on the JAXA Sagamihara Campus. As of April 2015, the center has approximately 30 staff who have undertaken new activities, and are working in three reaearch areas:
1) “exploration technology in a wide range of unexplored areas”; 2) “automatic and autonomous exploration technology”; and 3) “In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technology.”
Message from our Director
![](../assets/img/mori.jpg)
Since The Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center was formed in 2015, the center has been conducting joint research with private companies, academia, and other organizations that have not been involved in space exploration. And we have been creating key technologies for space exploration and simultaneously improving space exploration capabilities and industrial competitiveness under the concept of ‘Dual Utilization’.
On the other hand, the environment surrounding the center has changed dramatically in recent years, such as the progress of international moon exploration initiatives called ‘Artemis program’, and the launch of the space strategy fund called ‘JAXA Fund’ to support the rapid increase in space activities by private companies. Therefore, we have set a new goal for the center, ‘Space Dual Utilization’, which is a further development of the ‘Dual Utilization’ concept. ‘Space Dual Utilization’ is a joint research project with the aim of both JAXA's "space" exploration missions and the commercialization of "space" activities by private companies etc., and this research project is called "Moon to Mars Innovation."
Since "space achievements" have great significance in both space exploration missions and space commercialization, I personally think that it is better to conduct research with a view of future "space demonstrations" than ever before, but this is just a proposal. We believe that the most effective way to respond to major changes is to look ahead to the future through conversation with you and conduct exciting research. We look forward to working with you on the new space exploration activities.
Thank you.
Osamu Mori
Our Logo Mark "TansaX"
TansaX is a nickname of the Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center. TansaX includes a meaning of the creation of “X,” i.e., “unexpected things,” through our research and development for Tansa*. TansaX is also the acronym for “Technology Advancing Node for SpAce eXploration.”
*“Tansa” means “exploration” in Japanese.
The Logo symbolizes our aim to expand the humanosphere and the domain of human activities within the Solar System. “X” symbolizes a rocket engine nozzle and projects the image of flying freely and vigorously from the Earth (blue) to the Moon (yellow), the asteroids (gray), and Mars (red) in the Solar System.
Related information
Location
JAXA Sagamihara Campus more
Activities
Innovation hub construction support by JST
Our “Open Innovation Hub for Expanding Humanosphere and the Domain of Human Activity through Solar System Frontier Development (Open Innovation Hub)” was selected for the Support program for starting up innovation hub sponsored by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). With JST’s support, innovative technology development has become more promising.
The expansion of humanosphere and the human activity domain through space exploration development will be directly linked to creating values for new space development applications.
In the next ten to twenty years, space exploration will be primarily led by activities to explore the moon and Mars through international collaboration and competition. Various entities will be involved, including private companies.
JST Support Program for starting up Innovation Hub on the National Research and Development Agency(Japanese language only)
Request for Proposal(RFP)
Adoption Results
Contact
e-mail:SE-forum (at mark) jaxa.jp
If you have any questions, please contact us via this e-mail address. Please allow 10-15 business days for a reply.