[Interview+] How Japan Built Its Crazy Space Agency

Japan’s space agency often flies under the radar, despite pursuing missions many larger agencies haven’t attempted. Like returning samples from Phobos or deploying a Toyota-built lunar rover. In this interview, we trace JAXA’s origins and the decisions that defined it. Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_u9ZJBLCDBQ 🟣 Guest: Dr. Subodhana Wijeyeratne https://subowijeyeratne.com/ 📚 The Islands and the Stars: A History of Japan's Space Programs https://bdo.wfu.mybluehost.me/the-islands-the-stars/ 00:00 Intro 02:01 Researching JAXA 06:48 Star of Japan's space journey 16:05 Japan's first liquid fuel rocket 24:14 Japan's relationships with NASA and others 31:23 Lesser known projects 36:53 Dependency on the US 42:00 Excitement for the Future 44:41 Current obsessions 50:17 Final thoughts