JAXA

JAXA is Japan’s national aerospace agency, formed in 2003 by merging three space-related organizations. It conducts space science, develops satellites and launch vehicles, and supports human spaceflight.

Hayabusa: A Japanese spacecraft that collected samples from asteroid Itokawa and returned them to Earth in 2010. This pioneering sample-return mission established JAXA’s capability to retrieve material from an asteroid.
H3 launch vehicle: A Japanese expendable launch vehicle developed by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. H3 is JAXA’s newer rocket for launching satellites and other payloads.
Institute of Space and Astronautical Science: A Japanese research institute that developed scientific satellites and planetary missions before joining JAXA. ISAS supplied much of JAXA’s scientific spacecraft tradition and planetary exploration expertise.
Hideo Itokawa: A Japanese rocket engineer whose work helped establish Japan’s postwar spaceflight program. Itokawa’s early rocketry helped lay the foundations of the program JAXA later inherited.
NASA: The United States government agency responsible for civilian space exploration and aeronautics research. NASA is JAXA’s major partner in station operations and several exploration efforts.
Hayabusa2: A Japanese spacecraft that collected samples from asteroid Ryugu and returned them to Earth in 2020. Its Ryugu mission extended JAXA’s asteroid exploration with a sample return from a carbon-rich body.
H-IIA: A Japanese expendable launch vehicle used for satellite launches and interplanetary missions. H-IIA carried several landmark JAXA spacecraft, including Hayabusa2 and Akatsuki.
National Space Development Agency of Japan: A Japanese government agency responsible for developing launch vehicles, satellites, and human spaceflight before 2003. NASDA contributed JAXA’s launch, applications-satellite, and crewed-spaceflight programs.
Mamoru Mohri: A Japanese scientist and astronaut who flew on Space Shuttle missions and served aboard the International Space Station. Mohri was among the first Japanese astronauts to represent the country in space.
European Space Agency: An intergovernmental organization coordinating civilian space activities among European member states. ESA offers a multinational model against which JAXA’s national-agency structure can be compared.

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Moons of MarsRelated: JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration mission is designed to study both moons and return Phobos samples.