Japan-United States of America Relations
Prime Minister KISHIDA and President Biden’s Visit to an Exhibition on Japan-U.S. Space Cooperation
Exhibition on Japan-U.S. Space Cooperation
(Photo: Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
Exhibition on Japan-U.S. Space Cooperation
(Photo: Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
Exhibition on Japan-U.S. Space Cooperation
(Photo: Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
On May 23, commencing at 1:20 p.m. for approximately 5 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, and The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United States of America, visited an exhibition on Japan-U.S. space cooperation at the State Guest House, Akasaka Palace. The overview of the visit is as follows.
- Guided by Dr. YAMAKAWA Hiroshi, President of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), as well as Mr. YUI Kimiya and Mr. ONISHI Takuya, both JAXA Astronauts, Prime Minister Kishida and President Biden visited to see the actual samples brought back to Earth from the asteroid Ryugu by Asteroid Explorer “Hayabusa2,” and models of Hayabusa2, Global Precipitation Measurement/Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (GPM/DPR) and a pressurized crew rover.
- The two leaders confirmed further strengthening Japan-U.S. cooperation in the space domain.
[Note 1] Hayabusa2
Hayabusa2 brought back samples from the asteroid Ryugu, which is believed to contain a large amount of water and organic matter. It departed from Earth in 2014, and the re-entry capsule from Hayabusa2 returned to Earth in 2020. Its mission was to explore the origin of the organic matter that makes up water and life on Earth; the birth of the solar system; and the origin of water and life on Planet Earth. The analysis of the samples are still underway, and the samples are exchanged with those from other asteroid exploration missions by the U.S. for mutual research.
[Note 2] Global Precipitation Measurement/Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (GPM/DPR)
Global Precipitation Measurement/Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (GPM/DPR) is the core satellite of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission and observes rain, snowfall and other weather conditions around the world. The U.S.-developed satellite bus is equipped with the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR), an observation instrument developed by Japan, and the GPM microwave radiometer (GMI), another observation instrument developed by NASA.
[Note 3] Pressurized Crew Rover
The pressurized crew rover, equipped with a pressurized space in which astronauts can stay without special space suit, is designed to perform the role of "sustainable lunar exploration" in the Artemis Program. This can dramatically expand the scope of human lunar exploration and the range of viable scientific exploration, while also enabling human exploration. A joint mission is now under study between JAXA and NASA.