On 7 July, Dr Megan Clark AC, Head of the Australian Space Agency, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) President Dr Hiroshi Yamakawa signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on Space. Australian Ambassador H.E. Mr Richard Court AC witnessed the signing, which occurred during an Australia-Japan bilateral virtual meeting.
Also, on 14 July, the Australian Space Agency and JAXA released a joint statement about the return of JAXA’s Haybusa2 spacecraft, which will bring back samples from the asteroid Ryugu to Earth. JAXA indicated that 6 December 2020 is its planned target date for the Hayabusa2’s expected landing in Woomera, South Australia.
The Agency and JAXA are working through JAXA’s application for Authorisation of Return of Overseas Launched Space Object (AROLSO), which will need to be approved under the Space Activities Act (1998).
(C) Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)