Japan’s space agency often flies under the radar, despite pursuing missions many larger agencies haven’t attempted. Like returning samples from Phobos or deploying a Toyota-built lunar rover. In this interview, we trace JAXA’s origins and the decisions that defined it.

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_u9ZJBLCDBQ

🟣 Guest: Dr. Subodhana Wijeyeratne https://subowijeyeratne.com/

📚 The Islands and the Stars: A History of Japan's Space Programs https://bdo.wfu.mybluehost.me/the-islands-the-stars/

• 00:00 Intro

• 02:01 Researching JAXA

• 06:48 Star of Japan's space journey

• 16:05 Japan's first liquid fuel rocket

• 24:14 Japan's relationships with NASA and others

• 31:23 Lesser known projects

• 36:53 Dependency on the US

• 42:00 Excitement for the Future

• 44:41 Current obsessions

• 50:17 Final thoughts