About JAXA
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was born through the merger of three institutions, namely the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL) and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). It was designated as a core performance agency to support the Japanese government's overall aerospace development and utilization. JAXA, therefore, can conduct integrated operations from basic research and development, to utilization.
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In 2013, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of its founding, JAXA created the corporate slogan, "Explore to Realize," which reflects its management philosophy of utilizing space and the sky to achieve a safe and affluent society. JAXA became a National Research and Development Agency in April 2015, and took a new step forward to achieve optimal R&D achievements for Japan, according to the government's purpose of establishing a national R&D agency.
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JAXA's activities range from basic space research to ongoing space missions. The agency has built a module for the International Space Station, sent probes to study the Moon, and returned material from the asteroid belt to Earth
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JAXA's motto is "One JAXA," and its corporate slogan is "Explore to Realize". On September 4, 2024, the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo spacecraft executed its closest flyby of Mercury, capturing the planet's south pole and several geological features over 128 images. The first results of the XRISM X-ray space telescope have revealed the structure, motion, and temperature of the material around a supermassive black hole and in a supernova remnant in unprecedented detail. Japan's JAXA SLIM spacecraft successfully landed on the moon's surface on January 19, 2024. This achievement makes Japan one of the few countries to have reached the lunar surface.
JAXA organized the JAXA Aviation Symposium 2024 on October 18, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. The symposium will showcase major projects and research activities of the JAXA Aviation Technology Directorate.
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