RAIKO is a Japanese satellite which was built and operated by Tohoku and Wakayama Universities. A two-unit CubeSat, RAIKO was deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) on 4 October 2012, having been launched on 21 July 2012.
F-1 is a CubeSat built by FSpace laboratory at FPT University, in Hanoi, Vietnam, in partnership with Angstrom Space Technology Center (ASTC), Uppsala University, Sweden and Nanoracks LLC, United States. Its mission is to train young engineers and students about aerospace engineering and evaluate an advanced three-axis magnetometer, Spin-Dependent Tunneling Magnetometer (SDTM) designed in Sweden by ASTC.
WE WISH was a small commercial CubeSat which was deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) in October 2012 and which deorbited in March 2013. It was built by the Japanese technology company Meisei Electric and the Meisei Amateur Radio Club, and could transmit pictures taken by a small infrared camera via radio at 437.515 MHz. WE WISH travelled to orbit aboard Kounotori 3 (HTV-3) on 21 July 2012, along with other CubeSats including RAIKO, FITSAT-1, F-1, and TechEdSat-1.
Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is a lunar lander developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The lander will demonstrate precision landing technology. By 2017, the lander was planned to be launched in 2021, but this was delayed until 2023 due to delays in SLIM's rideshare mission, X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM). It was successfully launched on 6 September 2023 at 23:42 UTC. If the mission is successful, Japan will become the 5th country to soft land on the surface of the Moon.
TRICOM-1R, also known as Tasuki, was a Japanese nanosatellite that was launched during the SS-520-5 sounding rocket test launch on 3 February 2018, with a mission to conduct store and forward data relay and Earth observation using a set of cameras.
The Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program is a series of spacecraft missions for testing technology and ideas put forward by universities and private companies. The program demonstrates various experimental devices and technology in space by providing flight opportunities. It is managed by the JAXA Research and Development Directorate. According to JAXA, the goal of this program is to test high risk, innovative technology that will lead to the space industry gaining competitiveness in the international field.
Warpspace is a private Japanese company developing an inter-satellite communication system based on laser communication. Warpspace is developing a medium Earth orbit satellite, WarpHub InterSat, which will communicate with other satellites in low Earth orbit using optical communication, then pass on the received data to ground stations.
OPUSAT-II was a CubeSat developed by Osaka Prefecture University and Muroran Institute of Technology. OPUSAT-II was launched from Wallops Flight Facility on 20 February 2021, and was deployed from the International Space Station. The satellite was nicknamed HIROGARI, for a Japanese word meaning spread, or expand.
STARS-EC was a nanosatellite developed by Shizuoka University, for the purpose of demonstrating space elevator tether technology. It was a 3U-size CubeSat, and could split into three separate satellites, connected via tethers. STARS-EC was launched on 20 February 2021, and was deployed from the International Space Station (ISS). The deployment service of STARS-EC was provided by Mitsui Bussan Aerospace.
Suisen (すいせん), also known as Fukui Prefectural Satellite is an Earth observation satellite of the Fukui Satellite Technology & Research Association (FSTRA). It was developed mainly by companies within Fukui Prefecture, Japan. The satellite is named for Fukui's prefectural flower, Echizen narcissus.
DRUMS is an experimental spacecraft that will test proximity operation near space debris. The microsatellite carries two 'mock space debris' which once deployed will be used as a target for demonstrating approach and contact.
ASTERISC is a nanosatellite developed by the Planetary Exploration Research Center (PERC) at the Chiba Institute of Technology that will observe cosmic dust in low Earth orbit. It is built as 3U-sized CubeSat and will deploy a large membrane structure in space. ASTERISC was launched on 9 November 2021 by an Epsilon launch vehicle.
KOSEN-1 is a technology demonstration satellite that will test the deployment of an antenna for observing radio waves emitted from the planet Jupiter. It is a 2U CubeSat, and carries a 7 m (23 ft) antenna. The CubeSat was jointly developed by the National Institute of Technologies in Japan. National Institute of Technologies is known as 'kosen' in Japanese. KOSEN-1 was launched on 9 November 2021 by an Epsilon launch vehicle, as part of the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-2 mission.
RAISE-2 was a smallsat for technology demonstration, part of the Japanese space agency JAXA's Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program. RAISE-2 was launched on 9 November 2021 as the main satellite of Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-2. RAISE-2 was developed by Mitsubishi Electric.
WARP-01, nicknamed Nichirin, was a 1U-sized CubeSat developed and operated by Warpspace, a newspace company based in Tsukuba, Japan. It was launched on 20 February 2021 on board a Cygnus cargo spacecraft, and deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) on 14 March 2021. WARP-01 was used for technology validation and monitoring the radio wave and radiation environment in space.
KITSUNE was a nanosatellite developed by the HAK consortium, which consists of Haradaseiki Kogyo, Addnics Corporation, and Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech). The spacecraft was a 6U CubeSat, and carried a high-resolution camera for Earth observation. KITSUNE was carried to the International Space Station (ISS) on board Cygnus NG-17, and was deployed from the ISS's Kibō Module on 24 March 2022 12:10 UTC. The deployment service of KITSUNE was provided by Mitsui Bussan Aerospace.
Space NTK is a space funeral company providing space burial services for the cremated remains of both human and pets. The company also conducts space pre-funeral by sending part of one's body such as nails and hair to space. Space NTK was founded by Tomoko Kasai in 2017.
Mitsuba was a nanosatellite developed by Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech) which would have tested whether products that are not intended for use in space are still usable for satellites. Mitsuba was launched on 12 October 2022 by an Epsilon rocket, but the launch resulted in a failure and the satellite was lost.
KOSEN-2 is an educational nanosatellite jointly developed by eight schools of National Institute of Technology in Japan. The satellite would have tested IoT technologies in space. KOSEN-2 was launched on 12 October 2022 by an Epsilon rocket as part of the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-3 mission, but the launch resulted in a failure and the satellite was lost.
SpaceTuna1 is a nanosatellite developed by Kindai University to test the properties of reflective materials in space.The project aims to use this technology to monitor tunas as an alternative to the use of tags for biologging. SpaceTuna1 has been launched from Wallops Flight Facility on board a Cygnus spacecraft on 7 November 2022, and will later be deployed from the International Space Station (ISS).
