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Tokyo – Space BD, a leading Japanese space startup, has adopted the global boys group JO1 as the official ambassadors for the second round of the Space BD space utilization project Space Delivery Project -RETURN to EARTH-. JO1 are frequently in the top trending on Twitter internationally and in multiple countries, and their “GO to the TOP” slogan and ambition to achieve greater heights resonated with Space BD and is in line with Space BD’s approach to be a leading company working to accelerate the space industry.

With this appointment of JO1 as ambassadors, Space BD will further accelerate new utilizations of space. This will set the stage for a new era to promote initiatives to make space feel closer to even more people.

Space Delivery Project -RETURN to EARTH- is a project to collect mementos and research objects from Japan and internationally, launch them into space, expose the objects to space for approximately 6 months on the exposed facility on the International Space Station (ISS) Kibo, and then return them to earth. In the first round of this project, Space BD collaborated with 10 partners, including research institutes, educational institutions, and private companies in Japan and internationally, and launched research materials, photographs, and illustrations into space on February 20, 2022. These objects are currently exposed to space.

 

Initiative Details

In this first collaboration project, for the second round of the Space Delivery Project -RETURN to EARTH- metal plates printed with the jacket design for the group’s upcoming second album “KIZUNA” (scheduled to be released Wednesday, May 25, 2022) and the JAM (name for fans) logo, among others will be launched to the ISS during FY2022. They will be exposed to space for approximately 6 months and then returned to earth. Space BD will work together with JO1 on projects to allow the JO1 members and JAM (fans) to enjoy these mementos after their return from their space journey.

 

JO1 Profile

JO1 is a global boys group consisting of 11 members: Issei Mamehara, Ren Kawashiri, Takumi Kawanishi, Shosei Ohira, Shion Tsurubo, Ruki Shiroiwa, Keigo Sato, Syoya Kimata, Junki Kono, Sukai Kinjo, and Sho Yonashiro. The members were selected after a fierce competition lasting about three months on the survival audition program PRODUCE 101 JAPAN, where the final selections were made by about 65 million votes cast by the program viewers, serving as “national producers.”
Since their 2020 debut the group has been top of the Oricon weekly ranking chart for 5 successive singles. They were also the winners for three Twitter trending ranking awards for FY2021.

 

Reference Materials
■About the Space Delivery Project -RETURN to EARTH-

For this project utilizing the new Exposed Experiment Bracket (ExBAS) attached on the IVA-replaceable Small Exposed Experiment Platform (i-SEEP) of the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo on the ISS, Space BD provides a wide range of support, including leading the call for a variety of organizations to participate, selecting mementos, and supporting the launch and return to earth. In the first round, Space BD collaborated with 10 organizations in total, including private companies and research institutes, and launched research materials, photographs, illustrations, and various other objects on February 20, 2022. During FY2022 these objects will be recovered into the ISS and then returned to earth on a supply ship, and returned to the customers. Each of the objects returned to earth are planned to be used for demonstration experiment testing, education, corporate marketing, and other uses.
Reference:Space BD to start Space Delivery Project Joint project in collaboration with global research & educational institutions and the private sector to launch research objects & mementos by the end of FY2021

 

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