SpaceMiningData
Government agencyJapanActive

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Japan's national space agency. Its resource-related work centers on the Lunar Polar Exploration mission (LUPEX / Chandrayaan-5) with ISRO, which JAXA describes as obtaining data on the quantity and forms of lunar water resources to judge whether they can be used; JAXA also returned samples from asteroid Ryugu with Hayabusa2, a science mission recorded here as science context (Hayabusa2 (Ryugu sample return)).

See it on the 3D Moon · See Ryugu in 3D

No level assigned

An organization's level is recorded separately and is not a ranking of its linked missions' results. How the ladder works.

Facts

Headquarters
Japan
Type
Government agency
Founded
2003
Status
Activeas of 2026-09-25. Operating national agency; JAXA pages accessed 2026-09-25.
Roles
Prospecting, Rover / mobility
Targets
Moon, Near-Earth asteroid
Also known as
JAXA
Website
global.jaxa.jp

Missions

4 records
MissionRoleLaunch or landingPhaseOutcome
LUNAR-RABBIT water and metal-element exploration instruments (University of Tokyo)InstrumentFunderNot recordedIn developmentNot applicable
Hayabusa2 (Ryugu sample return)SpacecraftOperator2014-12-03EndedSuccess
LUPEX / Chandrayaan-5 (Lunar Polar Exploration mission)SpacecraftOperatorPlanned, no earlier than 2028In developmentNot applicable
ispace Mission 4 (ULTRA lander; formerly Mission 6)SpacecraftFunderPlanned 2029 (target)In developmentNot applicable

Dated events

Amounts are shown one at a time as each source states them. They are never added together.

  1. 2026-08-07

    Japan Space Strategy Fund grant to ispace for polar high-precision landing (Mission 4)

    Grantispace, inc.With ispace Mission 4 (ULTRA lander; formerly Mission 6), Japan Aerospace Exploration AgencyJPY 11,600,000,000 (company announcement)

    ispace announced an 11.6 billion yen grant (ceiling 20 billion yen, subject to stage-gate reviews) under Phase 2 of Japan's Space Strategy Fund, administered by JAXA, for high-precision landing near the lunar south pole on Mission 4; the project was selected on 2026-01-16.

    Company statements only. No independent or government source is recorded here.

    Sources (1) and evidence gaps
    1. [1]ispace Receives Grant for Japan's Space Strategy Fund Project "High-Precision Landing Technology in the Lunar Poles Region"
      ispace, inc.Company statementPublished 2026-08-07Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: amount
      Grant Amount: 11.6 billion yen The maximum grant amount remains 20 billion yen.
      Quote matched the source text when accessed.
    • JAXA-side award record not retrieved.
    • The January 2026 selection release called the project Mission 6; the August 2026 award release renumbered it as Mission 4.
  2. 2026-02-10

    JAXA Space Strategy Fund grant decision for the University of Tokyo's LUNAR-RABBIT instruments

    GrantThe University of TokyoWith LUNAR-RABBIT water and metal-element exploration instruments (University of Tokyo), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

    The University of Tokyo reports that a grant under JAXA's Space Strategy Fund (second round) was decided on 10 February 2026 for its project to develop flight models of water and metal-element exploration instruments and to measure lunar resource amounts. JAXA's project page lists the selection notice and publication date separately, as 10 October 2025. No amount is stated.

    Sources (5) and evidence gaps
    1. [1]宇宙戦略基金事業（第二期）「月面インフラ構築に資する要素技術」交付決定
      University of Tokyo, Department of Earth and Planetary ScienceCompany statementPublished 2026-02-10Accessed 2026-10-31Supports: date, summary
      本事業において、2026年2月10 日に交付が決定しました
      Quote matched the source text when accessed.
    2. [2]宇宙戦略基金事業（第二期）「月面インフラ構築に資する要素技術」交付決定
      University of Tokyo, Department of Earth and Planetary ScienceCompany statementPublished 2026-02-10Accessed 2026-10-31Supports: counterparty, summary
      国立研究開発法人宇宙航空研究開発機構（JAXA）が公募する「宇宙戦略基金事業（第二期）」
      Quote matched the source text when accessed.
    3. [3]水・金属元素探査装置のフライトモデル開発と月面資源量の実測 (selected project)
      JAXA Space Strategy FundGovernment recordAccessed 2026-10-31Supports: summary, status explanation
      採択通知・公表日 2025-10-10
      Quote matched the source text when accessed.
    4. [4]水・金属元素探査装置のフライトモデル開発と月面資源量の実測 (selected project)
      JAXA Space Strategy FundGovernment recordAccessed 2026-10-31Supports: organizations or records involved
      代表機関名 国立大学法人東京大学
      Quote matched the source text when accessed.
    5. [5]水・金属元素探査装置のフライトモデル開発と月面資源量の実測 (selected project)
      JAXA Space Strategy FundGovernment recordAccessed 2026-10-31Supports: resources
      資源探査に必要な主要元素(H，Fe，Ti，Al，Mg，Ca，Si，K，Naなど)の濃度と鉱物組成（水氷、チタン鉄鉱、輝石、カンラン石など）を月面で最高10µmの分解能で計測する
      Quote matched the source text when accessed.
    • No grant amount or currency is stated in the sources reviewed.

Open evidence gaps

  • Japan's 2021 space resources act is administered by the Cabinet Office, not JAXA. The act is recorded on its own law page.

Sources

2 excerpts from 2 publications

One web address counts as one publication.

  1. [1]Lunar Polar Exploration Mission
    JAXA Space Exploration CenterGovernment recordAccessed 2026-09-25Supports: objective, why it is included, participants, summary
    JAXA is working with ISRO to plan an international collaborative mission to obtain the data on the quantity and forms of the water resources present on the Moon
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  2. [2]JAXA History
    JAXAGovernment recordAccessed 2026-09-25Supports: year founded
    Establishment of an Independent Administrative Agency
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.

Cite this record

SpaceMiningData, “Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency”, dataset version a00fa2c68a45, built 2026-11-11, https://spaceminingdata.com/organizations/jaxa.html. Record checked 2026-10-30.