The third MMX meeting

The third MMX meeting was held over four days in the conference hall at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), running from January 13 ~ 16. With attendees from all over the world, the meeting had a hybrid format with over 100 participants in total from Japan and overseas both on-site and online. At the peak on-site attendance, we had approximately 80 people in the conference hall, which is the largest number yet for an MMX meeting. Our overseas attendees included team members from our collaborating organizations at DLR, CNES, NASA, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and Honeybee Robotics.

Each day of the meeting focused on a different aspect of the mission:

Day 1: Project General Meeting 
Day 2: Operations General Meeting
Day 3: Mission Instrument Team Meeting
Day 4: Ground System General Meeting

At the Project General Meeting on the first day, MMX Project Manager Kawakatsu Yasuhiro began by giving an overview of the Project’s progress. He shared photographs and videos of the spacecraft development at Mitsubishi Electric Kamakura Works, and the results from the recent comprehensive tests of the spacecraft’s systems, as well as the preparations and operations that will happen at the Tanegashima Space Center, where MMX will begin its journey to Phobos! Yaji Kentaro, who is leading the outreach team, also shared the news that JAXA Astronauts Yoneda Ayu and Suwa Makoto have been appointed as MMX Public Relations Ambassadors.

A group photo was taken in front of the M-V rocket in the grounds of the JAXA Sagamihara Campus, which seemed a very fitting location despite the cold weather!

On the morning of the third day, we took several of our overseas colleagues to Mitsubishi Electric Kamakura Works, where they could see the actual MMX spacecraft undergoing the integrated testing. It’s rare to be able to visit a spacecraft at this stage. For MMX, everyone who visits always comments on the size!

During breaks between the talks, international outreach lead Elizabeth Tasker challenged team members to answer one question about the mission in short one-minute videos. These bite-sized interviews will be released in the future on our social media platforms.

Throughout all four days, our MMX team took advantage of their time together to share information about different aspects of the mission, and exchange ideas. During the discussions, breaks, and social gatherings, we discussed concrete strategies for mission success. The atmosphere was serious, but the mood excited. As launch now approaches, awareness of our departure from Earth and morale of everyone involved is on the rise, and the team unity is stronger than ever.

The fourth MMX Conference is scheduled for this September.

(This article is based on an article in Japanese that was published in the February edition of ISAS News.)