Institute of Space and Astronautical Science

History

The origins of ISAS lie in the Institute of Industrial Science of the University of Tokyo, where Hideo Itokawa conducted experiments with miniature solid-fuel rockets, the Pencil Rocket and Baby Rocket, during the 1950s. These experiments led to the Kappa sounding rocket, used for observations in the International Geophysical Year. By 1960, the K-8 rocket had reached 200 km altitude. In 1964, the rocket group, the Institute of Aeronautics, and a scientific ballooning team merged to form the Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science within the University of Tokyo.

The rocket series evolved into the Lambda family, and in 1970 the L-4S-5 launched as Japan's first artificial satellite, Ohsumi. The subsequent Mu rockets were designed as satellite launch vehicles from the start. From 1971, ISAS launched scientific satellites for ionosphere and magnetosphere observation. X-ray astronomy satellites were continuously in orbit from Hakucho in 1979 until the launch failure of ASTRO-E briefly interrupted this.

In 1981, ISAS was spun out from the University of Tokyo as an inter-university national research organization. It launched Japan's first interplanetary probes, Sakigake and Suisei, to Halley's Comet in 1985, and the lunar probe Hiten in 1990. The Nozomi probe, launched in 1998 to orbit Mars, suffered system failures and could not enter orbit. In 2003, ISAS launched Hayabusa, the world's first asteroid sample return mission.

Later in 2003, ISAS was merged with two other national aerospace organizations to form JAXA. The English name Institute of Space and Astronautical Science remained in use, while the Japanese name changed to a literal translation of Space Science Research Division, then reverted to the previous name in 2010. Under JAXA, ISAS continues to handle space-based astronomy and lunar and planetary exploration.