The European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan’s JAXA have reinforced their long-standing partnership with a new joint statement. This agreement highlights their future space exploration efforts, such as ESA’s Ramses mission to study the asteroid Apophis in 2029, with the possibility of shared resources like thermal infrared imaging and launch opportunities.
The two agencies are also focusing on collaboration within the Gateway program to establish a crewed space station orbiting the Moon. They will continue their work on addressing climate change and pursuing commercial space opportunities, including lunar exploration projects under NASA’s Artemis program.
Additionally, ESA and JAXA are working on lunar technologies, with ESA’s Argonaut lunar lander and JAXA’s rover playing key roles. They also plan to advance lunar communications systems through ESA’s Moonlight program, creating a network of satellites around the Moon.
The partnership extends to Mars exploration, with discussions about joint missions to send small landers to the Red Planet. Both agencies are exploring advanced technologies like electric propulsion and entry, descent, and landing systems.
Looking ahead, ESA and JAXA aim to collaborate on major space science projects, including the New Athena X-ray telescope and potential studies on Mars and the moons of giant planets. The agencies also discussed their partnership at Japan’s Nihonbashi space week, highlighting the growing space industry in Tokyo.