UCL and Japan: 30 years of space exploration and collaboration
12 October 2024
UCL delegation met with the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as part of a broader trip to Japan led by UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement) Prof Geraint Rees.
To celebrate World Space Week, we highlight some of the past achievements and present collaborations underway.
For over three decades, UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) has worked closely with the JAXA and the NAOJ on groundbreaking missions like Yohkoh, Hinode, and currently Solar-C and LiteBIRD. These partnerships have helped advance space weather research and develop technology used across the space industry.
Prof Sarah Matthews, Professor of Solar Physics at UCL Faculty of Maths & Physical Sciences, shares the value of this ongoing collaboration: "Our work with JAXA has led to breakthroughs in solar observation. The technologies we’ve developed together have improved both countries' abilities to understand space weather."
The Yohkoh mission, launched in collaboration with JAXA, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Teledyne e2v, was the first solar space mission to use CCD cameras. This success paved the way for future projects, like Solar-C, where the UK continues to contribute key technologies.
Today, projects like ARIEL, a major European Space Agency - ESA mission led by Prof Giovanna Tinetti, Professor of Astrophysics at UCL Faculty of Maths & Physical Sciences, continue to build on the strong legacy of collaboration between UCL and Japan’s respective Space communities.
Prof Geraint Rees comments, “Japan holds a special place in the history of UCL, beginning in 1863 with the Chōshū Five. MSSL’s collaborations with JAXA and NAOJ have contributed to multiple space missions that have helped us all better understand our universe. It’s only fitting that in World Space Week 2024, we celebrate the past successes of our collaborative work but also look forward to the launch of the new exciting missions to come".
Links
- UCL Global News Article - UCL and Japan: 30 years of space exploration and collaboration
- UCL in East Asia
- UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL)
- UCL Faculty of Maths & Physical Sciences
- The long collaboration between UCL and Japan on space began with Yohkoh
- The Chōshū Five: makers of modern Japan (article in Portico: UCL’s magazine for alumni and supporters)
- UCL Innovation & Enterprise
- Prof Sarah Matthews' academic profile
- Prof Giovanna Tinetti's academic profile
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ)
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)