Makoto Yoshikawa

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) • Team Lead, JAXA Planetary Defense

Makoto Yoshikawa is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). He graduated from the Graduate School of Science at the University of Tokyo with a degree in astronomy and received a Doctor of Science degree. After working at the former Communications Research Laboratory (now the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology), he joined the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), which later became part of JAXA. He has been involved in Japan's planetary exploration missions, including Nozomi (the Mars mission), Hayabusa (the asteroid sample return mission), Akatsuki (the Venus mission), and Hayabusa2, serving as a member of the orbit determination team. During the Hayabusa mission, he served as Project Scientist in the later phase of the mission and as Project Manager in its final phase. For the Hayabusa2 mission, he led the pre-project phase, served as Project Manager during the initial phase, and later became Mission Manager. He is currently a member of the Hayabusa2 extended mission team. His research field is celestial mechanics, with a particular focus on the dynamics of small bodies in the Solar System. He is also engaged in planetary defense activities at JAXA and currently leads the JAXA Planetary Defense Team.

Events

International Astronautical Congress 2026

5 - 9 October 2026

Antalya, Türkiye

Participation: