Holding the 9th MMX System Design Meeting

On April 11 ~ 12, 2024, the MMX Project hosted the 9^th System Design Meeting in the main conference room on the JAXA Sagamihara Campus. The “SDM” is where project members gather to share the overall current status of the project, and to discuss future plans. The meeting is held 2 – 3 times per year, with the previous SDM being held over two days on January 23 ~ 24, 2024. People connected with MMX from both Japan and overseas participated in the meeting, with about 30 participating in person at Sagamihara, and 20 people joining the discussions online.

On the first day (April 11), MMX Project Manager Kawakatsu Yasuhiro reported on the current status of the MMX Project. After his report, project members described the necessary changes in planning due to the mission launch date moving to FY 2026, as well as the system development status and schedule, and the ground system development progress. During the science section of the meeting, reports covered the activities and results of each of the working teams. The public relations and outreach department also presented the new MMX mission mark, and announced the screening of the MMX fulldome film that opened in Japan in March, with a preview held in Tokyo in April.

On the second day of the SDM (April 12), each working group reported on the status of preparations for the operation plan. The meeting ended with a report on the current status of the entire mission equipment.

The meeting coincided with the cherry blossom (sakura) season in Japan, so the traditional meeting photograph was taken in front of the cherry blossom tree on the Sagamihara campus during the first day.

The next meeting is planned for this autumn, with the dates to be decided in coordination with related events at JAXA.