Beyond Earth: The Future of Technology and R&D in Space

On May 14th, Robert Walters, in collaboration with the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ), hosted a landmark event exploring the future of human spaceflight and commercial space infrastructure. The event featured distinguished speakers from Axiom Space and Astroscale, drawing a full house of professionals, enthusiasts, and industry stakeholders.

The evening opened with welcoming remarks from Paul Lee, Chair of the Alternative and Foreign Direct Investment Committee at ACCJ, and Alessandro Foletti, Head of Executive Search at Robert Walters Japan and Korea. Foletti shared how the idea for the event was sparked over dinner, inspired by the compelling story of Axiom Space and its mission to revolutionize space access and infrastructure.

Dr. Wakata's Vision for Commercial Space

The keynote speaker, Dr. Koichi Wakata, former JAXA astronaut and current Chief Technology Officer for Axiom Space in the Asia-Pacific region, delivered a captivating presentation. With over 500 days in space across five spaceflights and two spacewalks, Dr. Wakata shared personal insights into the evolution of human spaceflight - from early shuttle missions to the International Space Station (ISS), and now to the dawn of commercial space stations.

Dr. Wakata highlighted Axiom Space’s ambitious plans to build the world’s first commercial space station. The project aims to launch the Payload Power Thermal Module (AxPPTM) and enable its commercial space station to become an independent orbital platform as early as 2028. This station will support a wide range of activities, including scientific research, in-space manufacturing, and international astronaut missions.

He emphasized the unique advantages of microgravity for research and development, particularly in pharmaceuticals, materials science, and biotechnology. Dr. Wakata also showcased Axiom Space’s collaboration with Prada on the develpment of next-generation space suits and with Nokia on the 4G LTE communication system that will be used between the space suit and the moon landing system.

Space Commercialization: Challenges and Opportunities

The panel discussion, moderated by Chris Blackerby, Group COO of Astroscale and former NASA attaché, brought further depth to the conversation. Dr. Yuske Taguchi, Japan Country Manager and Strategic Advisor for Asia Axiom Space, discussed the evolving Japanese space ecosystem and the challenges of commercializing space. He noted that while sending astronauts remains costly - approximately 65 million USD per seat - there is growing interest in using space as a testbed for terrestrial product innovation.

The panelists addressed key risks in space operations, including space debris and radiation exposure, and stressed the importance of public-private partnerships to advance space infrastructure. They also highlighted the need to democratize access to space, enabling more countries and industries to participate in space exploration and utilization.

Audience questions ranged from artificial gravity for Mars missions to the feasibility of producing artificial organs in space. The event concluded with a networking session where industry leaders exchanged questions and insights around the possibility of utilizing space stations technology for their industries.

This event underscored the transformative potential of commercial spaceflight and the critical role of private-public collaboration in shaping the next frontier of human exploration.