U.S.-Japan Collaboration and Public-Private Partnerships for Space Exploration

 

The International Space Station celebrated 20 years of continuous human presence on board in 2020, and the commitment to space exploration continues as the Crew Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to transport four astronauts – from NASA, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the European Space Agency (ESA) – to the International Space Station in April 2021.

The accord regarding the lunar Gateway finalized between the Government of Japan and NASA demonstrates the commitment by both countries in sustainable lunar exploration. The recently-announced international partnership sets the stage for commercial and international partners to build the moon-orbiting outpost as part of the Artemis program and to demonstrate the technologies needed for human missions to Mars.

Against this backdrop of unprecedented public-private and international partnership for space exploration JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles welcomes Dr. Masami Onoda, Director of JAXA Washington D.C. Office and Ms. Karen Bradford, Director of the Partnership Office at NASA Ames Research Center. These two distinguished speakers will discuss the value and importance of strategic partnerships in space technology and exploration, with particular focus on public-private partnerships and NASA-JAXA collaboration.

This program is co-presented with the Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles.

Speaker Profiles

Masami Onoda
Masami Onoda is currently Director of JAXA Washington D.C. Office, representing the Japanese space agency in the Americas. Dr. Onoda has extensive experience in international affairs, satellite applications and industry relations. She has held several international positions, including at the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, and at the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs in Vienna, Austria.

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She has also worked with SMEs on small satellite technology transfer while operating the JAXA office in Osaka, Japan. Dr. Onoda holds a Ph.D. in Global Environmental Studies (2009) and master’s degree in environmental management (2005), both from Kyoto University Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, and BA in international relations from the University of Tokyo.

 

Karen Bradford
Ms. Karen Bradford currently serves as the Director of the Partnership Office at NASA Ames Research Center and has served as a civil servant for 30 plus years. Prior assignments at NASA Ames include Center Chief of Staff for over 11 years, Resource/Management Analyst for the Center Director’s Office within the CFO office, Associate Director for the Astrobiology Strategic Analysis and Support Office (ASASO) with duties that included serving as the Lead Project Manager for the Astrobiology Science Conference 2006, and Executive Assistant to Dr. Baruch Blumberg, Nobel Laureate and Director, NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) where she helped plan, implement, and served as project lead for the first NAI Minority Institution Faculty Sabbatical.