Press Releases
Signing of the Exchanges of Notes between Japan and the United States of America for the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission
April 11, 2023
On April 11, Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and The Honorable Rahm Emanuel, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Japan, signed the Exchanges of Notes between the Government of Japan and the Government of United States of America for the Martian Moons eXploration(MMX) mission in Tokyo.
- The Exchange of Notes are international agreements for cooperation between Japan and the United States under the MMX mission to bring back samples from the Martian moon to the Earth in order to determine the origin of the Martian satellites.
- At the signing ceremony, Foreign Minister Hayashi stated that space cooperation between Japan and the U.S. has been progressing strongly and that the development of a lunar exploration rover is planned under the Artemis program. In response, Ambassador Emanuel stated that he is pleased to see the expansion of cooperation between the two countries in the space field since his arrival in Japan, including Japan’s decision to extend participation in the International Space Station to 2030, cooperation between Japan and the U.S. on the Civil Lunar Gateway, and the signing of the Framework Agreement on Japan-U.S. Space Cooperation.
- Mr. Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator, gave a video message stating that NASA and JAXA have a long history of cooperation in space exploration, and that the two agencies would continue to deepen their knowledge of the solar system and the mysteries of the universe. JAXA President Dr. YAMAKAWA Hiroshi also explained an overview of the cooperation using a model of the MMX spacecraft and expressed his gratitude to all involved in the mission.