History
HISTORY
FROM 2006 TO NOW
A journey to create
the future from space.
A record of activities that have explored the future of space and Earth through education, research, and making.
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| August 2006 | Planned the Astrobiology Class to explore the relationship between life and space.
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| July 2008– | Started the first Space Education Project. We became the first private company to use paid space on the ISS Japanese Experiment Module, Kibo. Seeds of Miyakogusa and Arabidopsis were launched to space and grown in schools across Japan after their return. The seeds were launched on Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-126 and introduced by astronaut Koichi Wakata. Space Education Project
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| June 2009 | Started the second Space Education Project after being selected for JAXA’s second paid Kibo utilization theme. Turmeric, soybean, pansy, tomato, turf, arugula, Miyakogusa, Arabidopsis, and hops were launched for research, education, and commercial use on Space Shuttle Discovery STS-128. |
| April 2010 | Seeds including soybeans were launched as part of the second Space Education Project. A loss incident occurred at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in April 2010, followed by a press conference. |
| May 2010–March 2011 | The third Space Education Project included a relaunch. The seeds safely returned on Space Shuttle Discovery STS-133 on March 10, 2011, producing 18 species and 44 varieties, the largest number of space seeds at the time. Projects such as “Space Soybeans” subsequently expanded across Japan.
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| October 2011 | Conducted an engineering mission for a Space Education Project using a space elevator with Nihon University, in collaboration with the popular manga Space Brothers. Engineering mission press release
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| July 2012 | Held Summer Science Camp 2012 in Kimotsuki, where participants launched original model rockets from inside a rocket launch site. |
| September 2012 | Held Space Dream Forum 2012.
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| July 2015 | The Space Soybean Project exceeded two tons of production and began recruiting partner companies for commercialization. Space Soybean Miso was released in limited quantities in July. Space Soybean Project
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| August 2015 | Started the Aozora Science Class with Toray Industries and JTB, offering residential programs where participants enjoy science in nature, including model rocket development.
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| 2016 | Started the Global Rocketry Challenge (GRC), a STEM education program in which students develop model rockets with support from Lockheed Martin.
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| March 2017 | Held KIMOTSUKI SPACE CAMP, an satellite development camp with Kimotsuki Town, Kagoshima. Participants spoke with astronaut Koichi Onishi, proposed a satellite mission to the mayor, and connected the event with a celebration of Hayabusa’s return.
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| May 2018 | Daigo Fujita, director of the Leave a Nest Manufacturing Research Center, became a mentor for S-Booster 2018, a new space business idea contest hosted by the Cabinet Office and others. |
| August 2019 | Conducted a traveling experiment class at Seiko Gakuin on the theme of space elevators.
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| November 2019 | At KIMOTSUKI SPACE CAMP 2019, junior and senior high school students measured the temperature of the Sun with a radio telescope they built themselves.
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| April 2020 | Joined the launch of SPACE FOODSPHERE, which starts from food systems for living in space and aims to solve food, environment, and resource-circulation challenges on Earth.
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| March 2021 | Conducted the KANZEI Rocket Development Project at KANZEI High School.
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| April 2022 | Started supporting KANZEI High School as a curriculum development partner for its Science Frontier Course.
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| April 2022 | Our STEAM education content “Hakken LENS: Developing food in space and creating the future together — SPACE FOODSPHERE” was published in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s STEAM Library.
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| September 2024 | Held a space-themed panel discussion at the Hyper Interdisciplinary Conference 2024 Osaka-Kansai.
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| November 2024 | Conducted a space elevator experiment class at Kochi Gakugei Junior and Senior High School.
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| March 2026 | NEST EdLAB changed its name to Space Nome Research Institute and began a full-scale expansion into space utilization research. |
| May 2026 | Inherited a space-related business from euglena and started space bio-experiments using the Aoba satellite, along with next-generation education projects.
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