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Tokyo—Space BD, a leading Japanese space startup, announces the launch of the “Astro Boy and Rocket Launch Support Project,” a project in collaboration with Astro Boy to support the planned launch of the H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center on Saturday, August 26, 2023.

 

Space BD has “to create the industry and company representing Japan in the world” as our mission, and we have created new uses for space in our core businesses of launch services and International Space Station (ISS) use services. To expand the horizons of the use of space, it is key to establish methods for launch into space, and having domestically manufactured rockets is an especially important factor to energize the Japanese space industry. On this occasion, the H-IIA rocket no. 47 is planned to be launched in summer 2023 with the JAXA-developed XRISM (X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) as well as SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) on board. To bring together the support of all of Japan for this launch, Space BD collaborated with the cooperating sponsor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. to launch the “Astro Boy and Rocket Launch Support Project” as a project to celebrate the 20^th birthday of Astro Boy* this year as well as supporting the rocket launch. Astro Boy artwork by Victor Kaito specially designed for this project will be featured on the side of the rocket to be launched. This artwork depicts the essence of XRISM and SLIM hidden amongst the animals wishing Astro Boy a bright and happy future. The background of Astro Boy is an image of the world of space as seen from XRISM, and on the moon behind Astro Boy are keywords and images expressing this wish for a bright and happy future.

To further energize this project, MSD Co., Ltd. and Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. joined as supporter companies. A special homepage is also available and we hope you will take the time to visit.

*Astro Boy was born in 2003 in the setting of the manga of the same name that began in 1952.

 

Special homepage (Japanese only): https://atom2023.space-bd.com

 

■About MSD Co., Ltd.

MSD’s field of operations is human emotions. In our view ideas are not born spontaneously—rather, they are born through careful research. MSD aims to pull ideas from research, and through our unique research to uncover the desires behind human emotions, and from there create business ideas and develop them out. Our ultimate goal is to achieve a high quality of life that is emotionally secure by using ideas and technologies born in space and leveraging them on Earth, starting from the ultimate resource-constrained environment of space and then ascertaining the various resource constraints that also exist on Earth, such as in disaster-struck areas and closed environments. With marketing, nutritional science, and food engineering know-how at the core of our business, we conduct our unique awareness survey business, support new business development, create new projects, and plan and operate space food labs, among other initiatives.

 

Company name: MSD Co., Ltd.

Headquarters: 1-13-10-8F Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Taiki Kitajima, Representative Director

Established: December 18, 1996

Description of business: Survey research business and new business development business related to understanding of human emotions

URL: https://msd1996.jp/

 

■About Sompo Japan Insurance Inc.

Sompo Japan delivers unique products and stories that contribute to the wellbeing (people’s happiness and a better society) of our customers. In addition to the function of insurance to serve as peace of mind in case something goes wrong, we provide products to help customers be aware of the value of insurance outside of that simple peace of mind in case of an accident, and in this way we help people appreciate the positive significance of insurance. By providing insurance products to a wide range of customers, we aim to solve the problems of customers as well as solve social issues.

 

Company name: Sompo Japan Insurance Inc.

Headquarters: 1-26-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Giichi Shirakawa

Foundation date: October 1888

Description of business: Provision of non-life insurance products and services

URL: https://www.sompo-japan.co.jp/

 

■About Space BD

We at Space BD are a one-stop provider of solutions for those in the space utilization field. Not only can we deliver payloads to space by a variety of methods and facilitate the use of International Space Station assets, but we can also assist with everything from business plans to hands-on technical operations. As of February 2023, Space BD’s performance record marked over 70 satellite projects and over 300 orders.

 

URL:https://space-bd.com/en/

 

■About Victor Kaito, the illustration creator for this project

Born in Paris, France in 1999, Victor Kaito graduated from École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. With a French father and Japanese mother, Kaito is an artist who is active in various art scenes. Highly acclaimed worldwide for his sneaker art, he participated as an artist in Tetsuya Komuro’s NFT project while still in school, and was appointed as a designer for NEXT ATOM for the future in 2023. Just as artists in Paris, France were influenced by Japan during the Belle Epoque period and created an art culture, Kaito is working to create artwork that will bridge the two countries and start a movement.

 

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