"Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is celebrating after the successful Sunday launch of its Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration No. 4, which is packed with 16 intriguing payloads. The aim of JAXA's Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program is to test ideas proposed by researchers from academia and private industry. The space agency issues an open call for proposals, then conducts a competitive evaluation process to select payloads. Advancing Japan's capabilities in space, and the competitiveness of the nation's space industry, are major goals of the program."
"The main payload aboard the rocket was RAISE-4, a 110-kg satellite carrying eight experiments, including: LEOMI - an in-orbit demonstration of MIMO networking technology that aims to demonstrate a satellite internet-of-things platform; GEMINI - A "civilian" GPU to perform high-speed signal processing, and a new method of rapid software development for the platform; KIR-X - An experiment to use water as a propellant for satellites;"
"The launch also carried eight CubeSats into space, including OrigamiSat-2. The 3U craft carries what JAXA describes as 10 cm cube containing "an unprecedentedly lightweight and highly packable deployable array antenna for space, with antenna elements attached to a two-layer deployable membrane that can be folded using origami techniques.""
JAXA's Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program tests concepts proposed by academia and private industry through open calls and competitive selection to advance Japan's space capabilities and industry competitiveness. Sixteen experiments were selected for the latest mission, which launched atop a Rocket Lab Electron from New Zealand after weather delays. The main payload, RAISE-4, is a 110-kg satellite carrying eight experiments including LEOMI (MIMO networking for satellite IoT), GEMINI (a civilian GPU for high-speed signal processing), KIR-X (water as propellant), TDS-PPT (a pulsed plasma thruster), and AIRIS (AI-powered object detection). The launch also deployed eight CubeSats including OrigamiSat-2 with a highly packable deployable array antenna using origami techniques.
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