Since the merger, this is JAXA's first vision statement, as articulated by the three institutions involved: NASDA (National Space Development Agency), NAL (National Aerospace Laboratory), and ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science). The objective behind the Vision was to summarize the internal views, as well as to get recognition from space specialists and external experts.
In fact, NASDA had documented its Vision, but it never went beyond the agency. We realized that, as long as our Vision was kept as a purely internal document, we wouldn't be able to earn the nation's support. So this time, we worked on making the Vision under the tight supervision of 25 external commissioners. We're going to share the Vision both internally and externally this time, promoting it widely, and we'd like to implement the Vision as public opinion lines up behind it.
Beyond the benefits of communications, broadcasting and weather forecasting, space technology has become an indispensable part of our lives. How is space technology going to be utilized from now on? How are our lives going to become more convenient? We wanted to answer these types of questions in the JAXA Vision.
We'd like to hear from the public about the Vision - and not necessarily just from people who are involved in the area of space. We are also looking forward to hearing general comments and questions. In one way or another, everyone makes use of the benefits of communications, broadcasting and weather satellites in their daily lives, but not many are aware that these benefits are born of the fruits of space technology development. And we believe that the general public may have a unique point of view that is not found among specialists. |
