November 25, 2019

1. Scope and Objectives of SAFE Activities

SAFE (Space Applications For Environment) is a voluntary initiative for environmental monitoring that was endorsed at APRSAF-15. Environmental monitoring is an important activity in addressing climate change, which has a strong influence not only on agriculture and water resources but also on natural disasters. SAFE has been contributing to the development of space applications for agriculture and water resources for the past 10 years.
Since APRSAF-24 in 2017, a SAFE Evolution discussion has been conducted to enhance multilateral collaboration from bilateral collaboration. The conclusion of SAFE Evolution will be reported to show the new SAFE framework for space applications. Best practices and knowledge in the workshop will be reported in the SAWG to encourage the promotion of space applications in the Asia-Pacific region.
In 2019, a SAFE workshop was held at VNSC (CEOS chair 2019) and SAFE Agromet Project (proponent agencies LAPAN and MoA) training was conducted at GISTDA supported by the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF). These activities will be reported to participants.

1) SAFE Workshop
The SAFE workshop will be held on Day 0 of the SAWG (November 25, 2019). As an evolution of the SAFE initiative, the new SAFE Terms of Reference (TOR) will be enacted to promote APRSAF active participation in regional, multi-country and international cooperation. The revision of the TOR has been made for the effective implementation of Earth observation data to resolve some of the common regional issues regarding agriculture and water resource management, and for knowledge transfer and capacity building in the Asia-Pacific region, through joint management by space agencies (including ISRO, GISDTA, and JAXA and others) as well as through cooperation with international organizations and donor organizations. During this workshop, the current status of SAFE activities will be reported and discussed to share successful achievements and knowledge. For discussion of potential new SAFE projects, best practices of space applications in the field of agriculture and water resources, which are strongly influenced by climate change, will be reported to promote social implementation of space applications and resolve environmental issues in the Asia-Pacific region.

2) SAFE Initiative Report in the SAWG
The SAFE secretariat will report on the status of and updates to SAFE activities and the completion of SAFE Evolution on Day 2 of the Space Applications Working Group (SAWG) (November 27, 2019). Shared successful achievements and knowledge in the SAFE workshop will be reported in the SAWG to encourage promote space applications in the Asia-Pacific region.

3) Announcement of the next SAFE Workshop
The SAFE secretariat will announce the date of the next SAFE Workshop in 2020.

2. Result of SAFE Activities in APRSAF-25

Joint Statement of APRSAF-25 related to SAFE is as follow:

We welcome the advancement of SAFE activities into a new framework based on the cooperative relationships between and among participating space agencies, as well as, regional and international organizations such as the ASEAN. We expect to promote the new SAFE projects such as crop forecast and harvest by using space technology.

3. Draft Agenda

SAFE Workshop

SAFE Initiative Report in SAWG

Mr. KAWAMURA Kohei
E-mail: Z-SAFEml.jaxa.jp TEL: +81-50-3362-6386

November 25, 2019

1. Scope and Objectives

Kibo-ABC is a collaborative initiative of the Space Environment Utilization Working Group (SEUWG) of the APRSAF that aims to promote utilization of the Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo.” This manned space laboratory plays a key role by providing unique research capabilities onboard the International Space Station. Kibo-ABC member countries can share these opportunities with participating space agencies, researchers and engineers in the Asia-Pacific region. Since its establishment in 2012, the Kibo-ABC collaboration has promoted many educational, scientific and technical activities, not only in the form of the annual Kibo-ABC Workshop but also through a series of programs such as Space Seeds for Asian Future, Asian Try Zero-G, and Parabolic Flight Experiment Program. In 2019, a new exciting robotics programming competition started in the form of the Kibo-Robot Programming Challenge (KRPC) mainly aimed at university students within the framework of JAXA-NASA collaboration. These activities are conducted jointly with member countries that have consented to the Terms of Reference (TOR) of Kibo-ABC.

2. Activities and Discussion Points

On November 25, 2019, Kibo-ABC will hold a workshop prior to the main sessions of APRSAF-26. We hope to develop multilevel cooperative relationships among Kibo-ABC participating countries, and to better understand Kibo utilization for current and future Kibo-ABC activities.
The Kibo-ABC Workshop is open to everyone, members or non-members of Kibo-ABC, and offers rich topics of new plans and ongoing activities as follows:

■ Kibo-Robot Programming Challenge Program < New program >:
Kibo-Robot Programming Challenge (KRPC) is a new educational program that enables the next generation of scientists and engineers to access space-related activities and to gain knowledge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Featuring a JAXA robot “Int-Ball” and a NASA robot “Astrobee,” each group of participants will challenge the problem of solving various given problems in Kibo by using these robots. Kibo-ABC plans to call for participation to begin around September 2019, and the competition will end with the final round around September 2020. The details will be discussed in the Kibo-ABC Workshop.

■ Space Seeds for Asian Future Program:
Through plant experiments both in Kibo and on Earth, this multilateral program “Space Seeds for Asian Future” develops future human resources for Kibo utilization. “Asian Herb in Space (AHiS)” is the third mission of this program proposed by Malaysia. The Malaysian National Space Agency (ANGKASA) and JAXA have conducted feasibility studies and ground experiments from both scientific and technical perspectives with the aim of conducting plant growth experiments in Kibo. Many students in the Asia-Pacific region will enjoy this hands-on experiment mission to be conducted in 2020. More countries are encouraged to participate in AHiS.

■ Asian Try Zero-G Program:
In a series of Asian Try Zero-G programs, Japanese astronauts have conducted fundamental physics experiments proposed by young people in the Asia-Pacific region. The recent experiments of this program were successfully performed by the Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai onboard Kibo in February 2018. This educational program involved the participation of many Asian countries: Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The plan for the next Asian Try Zero-G mission will also be discussed at the Workshop.

■ Parabolic Flight Experiment Program:
Many agencies are interested in resuming the parabolic flight experiment program hosted by Kibo-ABC. Commercial sponsorship is encouraged as well as a fee-based approach that was proposed at our Workshop of APRSAF-25. Updates will be reported by each agency.

Mr. TANIGAKI Fumiaki
E-mail: Kibo-ABCaprsaf.org TEL: +81-50-3362-2186