Achievements of the 3rd Space Environment and Kibo Utilization Workshop (SEKUW)

Vayupak Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand

February 9-10, 2017

The 3rd Space Environment and Kibo Utilization Workshop (SEKUW) was successfully held on February 9 and 10, 2017 at Vayupak Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop was jointly organized by Geo-Informatics and the Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), and JAXA. About 90 people from four countries and 36 organizations including Thai and foreign universities, institutes, government agencies and private companies participated in active discussions on Kibo utilization.

This time of SEKUW was conducted under GEOINFOTECH 2017, presentation forum in the advancement of space technology and geo-informatics.

Exhibition Japan booth at GEOINFOTECH 2017

SEKUW is an international workshop whose purpose is to find potential space experiments to be conducted in "Kibo" as part of activities of the Space Environment Utilization Working Group (SEUWG), from APRSAF. The holding of the 3rd SEKUW was decided at the SEUWG during APRSAF-23. Also it was the first workshop specializing in Kibo utilization for Thailand.

Programs, presentations and more photos

Presentation Details: In addition to the Kibo experiment idea which is the plants experiment by Thai researcher, the new Thailand CubeSat mission plan for using J-SSOD (JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer) was announced. This plan was created through the J-SSOD introductory session held at SEUWG/APRSAF-23. And Singapore's new CubeSat "SpooQy-1" mission plan was also officially announced. As new trial training for future users, a JAXA engineer gave a supplementary explanation of J-SSOD interface requirements using J-SSOD ICD. It is leading CubeSat developers could better understand the requirements, and will be able to make designs to meet those requirements. Then through various educational talks on planning space experiments, the Kibo experiment operation expert explained the process of how to prepare and conduct a space experiment by using a simple plant experiment as an example. (e.g. preparing samples, developing devices, conducting a preliminary experiment, and following development procedures.)

As the national space project, the Thai National Space Exploration (NSE) program was announced. The main objective is a manned space program in support of Thailand to send Thai astronaut into space in the future. NSE 2017 is intended to determine valuable research on experiments in space, so as to proceed with the next plan for a manned space program.

At a special session of this workshop, Thai students who participated in past Kibo-ABC programs, the Asian students' Parabolic Flight Experiment Contest, Space Seeds for Asian Future (SSAF) and Asian Try Zero-G gathered again. They enjoyed lively discussions about the precious experience gained with these valuable programs, and how such experiences are important for young people in Asia.

More details

Through the workshop, participants recognized that such workshops for the space environment and Kibo utilization represent a precious opportunity for Asia, and an effective great step toward achieving their ideas about Kibo utilization.