On May 30 at 4:00 am, Re-entry Module ( REM ) of Unmanned Space Experiment Recovery System ( USERS ) developed by Institute for Unmanned Space Experiment Free Flyer ( USEF ) was returned to the earth after completing on-orbit space experiments.At 6:34 am, the REM landing on the open sea in the east of Ogasawara was recovered by USEF’s recovery ship as scheduled.
The USERS, an experimental satellite, that was launched by the H-ⅡA 3rd rocket last September had conducted an experimental manufacturing of a good quality super conductive material utilizing a micro gravity environment in space for about half a year.
IHI Aerospace Co., Ltd. is responsible for developing and manufacturing the REM and SGHF (Superconductive bulk processing Gradient Heating Furnace), besides participating in the operations of the REM’s returning to the earth and recovery on the sea.

On May 9 at 1:29 pm, the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science ( JAXA ) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology successfully launched the 5th Ｍ-Ⅴ rocket at JAXA’s Kagoshima Space Center in Kagoshima. A spacecraft loaded by the Ｍ-Ⅴ rocket is the MUSES-C: Mu Space Engineering Spacecraft named “Hyabusa”.
The objective of the MUSES-C mission is to bring back samples of an asteroid’s surface to earth in June 2007. The asteroid with about 500m in diameter is located between Mars and Saturn.
IHI Aerospace Co., Ltd. is responsible for the integration of the Ｍ-Ⅴ rocket, in addition to developing and manufacturing the 1st through 3rd-stage solid-propellant rocket motors, pyrotechnics of the separation systems, and the kick rocket motor that launches the Hyabusa in orbit.
In addition, IHI Aerospace Co., Ltd. is involved in the development of the asteroid-landing rover loaded on the Hyabusa, which observes the asteroid and the reentry capsule of the spacecraft to bring back the samples of the asteroid’s surface to earth.

In 1953, research and development of the rocket projectiles was initiated by IHI Aerospace Co., Ltd. (formerly, Fujiseimitsu Kogyo Co., Ltd. at that time) at the request of the Production Technology Research Institute of University of Tokyo. Since then, IHI Aerospace Co., Ltd. has contributed to the space development and manufacture of the various rocket projectiles in Japan.
On April 1st, IHI Aerospace erected a monument at the Tomioka Plant, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Rocket Projectiles Development Initiation.

As of April 1st, 2003, IHI Aerospace Co., Ltd. has taken over the space development operations from Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (IHI), excluding the turbo pomp systems for the H-ⅡA Rocket and the GX Rocket operations.
By combining and reorganizing the space development technologies of the IHI Group, we intend to continue advancing as a company with further enhanced competitive capabilities.