A major event in the annual space calendar is the International Astronautical Congress (IAC). This is one of the world's largest space events. This year marked the 76th International Astronautical Congress and was hosted by Australia at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in the beautiful city of Sydney. The IAC ran from Monday, September 29 to Friday, October 3, 2025 and featured keynote speeches, technical sessions, poster exhibitions, and student programs where members from across the space sector could meet, hear news, and chat. Cutting-edge research results and new international partnerships were announced one after the other! In downtown Sydney, a giant astronaut statue was on display and the whole city thrummed with the collaborative atmosphere of the IAC.
A giant astronaut figure was displayed in downtown Sydney to coincide with the IAC. Many people stopped to take photos with their new astronaut friend.
A panoramic view of the ICC Sydney, the venue for the IAC this year. The distinctive roof and open areas are particularly impressive.
In front of the ICC Sydney, the Sydney skyline is reflected in the blue waters of Darling Harbour. The city meets the sea right in front of the IAC venue.
An impressive LEGO rocket towered over the entrance to the IAC venue. This is the gateway to imagination and space.
"Returning samples from the Martian Moons". The JAXA pavilion in the exhibition hall of the IAC displayed a 1:20 scale model of the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch next year. The highlights of the mission were explained to anyone who stopped by!
Is this a member of our PR team, or an MMX superhero?! Perhaps they are indistinguishable! We gave our all to promoting the MMX mission in Sydney, as Australia is set to be the site of the sample capsule landing and recovery when MMX comes home with the precious sample from Phobos. ISAS PR Nasu Yusuke was our pavilion MMX superhero!
Even new ventures can experience traditional Japanese culture! This is a traditional Japanese furoshiki cloth, used for carrying items or wrapping gifts, with the design of our up-coming MMX mission!
Another leap forward in the international collaboration between ESA and JAXA
On September 30, ESA and JAXA attended the "Reception celebrating the growing cooperation on the RAMSES mission". The ESA Director General Joseph Aschbacher, Space Safety Program Director Holger Krug, RAMSES Mission Manager Paolo Martino, JAXA President Yamakawa Hiroshi, and JAXA ISAS Director General Fujimoto Masaki were all in attendance. The big announcement was a plan to launch the ESA-led RAMSES mission with the JAXA DESTINY+ mission on the JAXA H3 rocket. A launch logo was unveiled to symbolise this collaboration!
Both missions are aimed at asteroid exploration. RAMSES will rendezvous with asteroid Apophis, which will make a close approach to the Earth in 2029. DESTINY+ is also planning a fly-by of Apophis, before performing fly-bys of other asteroids, including the active asteroid, Phaethon.
President Yamakawa and ISAS Director General Fujimoto emphasized the importance of planetary defence－the response to impact threats from near-Earth objects (NEOs)－and expressed their intention to advance discussions on technical collaborations and launch opportunities.
From the left, JAXA ISAS Director General Fujimoto Masaki, RAMSES Mission Manager Paolo Martino, Space Safety Program Director Holger Krug, JAXA President Yamakawa Hiroshi, and ESA Director General Joseph Aschbacher.
President Yamakawa and ISAS Director General Fujimoto stated that interest in the threat posed by NEOs is growing internationally, and efforts to respond to this through planetary defence measures were intensifying. Collaboration with the ESA-led RAMSES program is an important step, and JAXA will further consider providing technology and launch opportunities. This underscored the strong collaborative relationship between ESA and JAXA.
RAMSES expands the ESA x JAXA circle! Stakeholders attended the event at the IAC to confirm the progress in international cooperation. From left, Fabio Nichele, CEO at Tyvak International (developer of the CubeSat "Farinella" that will fly with RAMSES), Holger Krug, Head of the ESA Space Safety Program, Paolo Martino, RAMSES Mission Manager, Fujimoto Masaki, JAXA ISAS Director General, Chiara Pedersoli, CEO of OHB System AG, Yamakawa Hiroshi, President of JAXA, Joseph Aschbacher, Director General of ESA, Teodoro Valente, President of ASI (Italian Space Agency), and Mariella Graziano, Executive Director for International Strategy and Business Development at GMV.
Standing in front of the unveiling of the simultaneous launch logo for RAMSES and DESTINY+, ISAS Director General Fujimoto explains the significance of the collaboration between Europe and Japan.
We also had tee-shirts! On the table are models of the RAMSES spacecraft (front) and DESTINY+ (behind) with the logo for the simultaneous launch. They look great beside the logo for the 50th anniversary of ESA.
Powerhouse Museum interview
During the IAC, there was a flurry of coverage from media around the world. The Sydney Powerhouse Museum, the largest museum group in Australia whose primary site is a repurposed 1902 power station, filmed a short interview with Director General Fujimoto as part of a project involving leaders in the space field. The Director General even had to wear make-up, and after the filming said with satisfaction, I'll go as I am now!
Director General Fujimoto in hair and makeup before the interview! He says he feels like a celebrity. After the interview, he was asked if he wanted to remove the makeup and asked, "Does it look strange?". We said that it looked great, and he said to leave it as it was!
Director General Fujimoto during the interview.
The interview being filmed through the camera. We are all excited to see the final production!
During the interview, Director General Fujimoto touched on the Hayabusa2 asteroid sample return mission, the SLIM lunar pinpoint landing, the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission that will launch next year, and future plans for Mars exploration. He cited Australia's geographical location, and excellent partnership, as "keys to success" for sample return sites, and spoke on the importance of continued partnership between Japan and Australia, including collaborations with universities and research institutes.
The conversation expanded beyond that of space science exploration. The Director General described low Earth orbits like that for the International Space Station as "experimental fields" that are highly accessible and allow researchers to focus on essential goals, a place where space business can be born, and an environment where ideas can be tested within a few years. DG Fujimoto also emphasised the need to strengthen activities in deep space, such as the Moon, Mars, and small celestial bodies. For the younger generation, DG Fujimoto emphasised "teamwork and communication"! (Please do check out his answers at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney if you have the chance.)
Powerhouse Parramatta is scheduled to host one of the world's largest space exhibits. We would definitely encourage you to visit, should you have the opportunity to travel in Australia, and experience the history and future of space development.
A scene from the filming. What Director General Fujimoto pondering as he looks towards the sky?
（2025/11/05）
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