In mid-October 2022, Kobe University alumni TAGUCHI Yuske (46) gave a talk on ‘Space Robotics: Paving the way for the commercial space era’ (宇宙ロボットが拓く、商業宇宙時代) at Tokyo Rokko Club. Mr. Taguchi is a graduate of the Faculty of Science’s Department of Planetology and has experience working in a variety of space entities. In his lecture, he combined explanations on how the space industry is accelerating toward commercial utilization and how he developed his career with his deep passion for space.

At the time of giving this lecture, Mr. Taguchi was in charge of business development at space robotics start-up GITAI Japan. Mr. Taguchi has previous experience as an instructor for astronaut and ground controller training at Japan Manned Space Systems Corporation (JAMSS), which is responsible for operating the Japanese Experiment Module ‘Kibo’ on the International Space Station (ISS). He was also seconded to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) where he was in charge of training support for JAXA astronauts such as KANAI Norishige.

Chasing childhood dreams

Mr. Taguchi:

Ever since I was a child, I was fascinated by space and naturally wanted to work in the space industry. Due to my father’s job, I lived in the US for 10 years from the age of 4. Growing up in New York and New Jersey, I was able to witness the golden age of the space shuttle. Like all American boys of my age, I also thought astronauts were cool and even after returning to Japan going through middle and high school, I continued to hold on to my dream of going to space. During high school, I was especially moved by the images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope and that was when I decided to pursue astronomy.

After obtaining my PhD from Kobe University’s Graduate School of Natural Sciences in 2005, I wanted to try something new and chose a job in the private sector working on systems development and other aspects. However, through a friendly call from a former colleague, I joined JAMSS in 2013 and returned to the space industry in order to pursue my dream. After that, I dedicated myself to working in the commercial space industry and worked at start-ups including Astroscale Japan (providing services to clean up space debris) and Space BD (striving to “commercialize” space). GITAI Japan, which I joined in May 2019, is the 7th company I have worked for.

Established in 2016, GITAI develops autonomous robots that can conduct various tasks in space including experiments on the ISS. A successful technology demonstration has already been completed inside the ISS and the next proof-of-concept demonstration, this time exposed to the harsh space environment, is planned for 2023.