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Japan Is Quietly Preparing the Way for Humans In Space

While space-bound billionaires make news, Japan’s young space administration has become an expert at getting pieces of asteroids.

Japan Is Quietly Preparing the Way for Humans In Space
A model of the lunar rover, developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Toyota. (Photographer: Shiho Fukada/Bloomberg)

While larger space agencies and billionaire entrepreneurs make headlines closer to home, Japan’s young space administration, the Japan Aerospace Exploration agency—or JAXA—has become the global expert at going out and getting small pieces of asteroids.

This is no small thing. Indeed, it’s become increasingly clear that efforts by JAXA to understand not only our solar system’s beginnings, but the composition of its components, are laying the groundwork for a new era of human space exploration. On this episode of Bloomberg’s Giant Leap, we explore what JAXA has done, and the promise and ambition of its coming missions.

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