WASC | Waseda Space Commons

In recent years, the landscape of space development has changed dramatically. In Japan as well, private companies and universities have come to play major roles in what was long a government-led endeavor. Through my own research in space transportation, I have also come to realize that many of the challenges we face cannot be solved by engineering alone. How should we make use of space, and how can the knowledge and technologies we gain there benefit the Earth and people's lives? Today, space development needs to be considered not merely as a matter of science and engineering, but in its relationship with society.

Waseda University is home to many researchers engaged with space — not only in space engineering, astronomy, and astrophysics, but also in fields such as economics and sociology. Across different faculties and specialties, however, opportunities to learn about one another's work have been limited. Waseda Space Commons (WASC) began with a simple wish: to create a place where these researchers can come together and talk.

At WASC, we will pursue research beyond disciplinary boundaries from four perspectives: "From Space to Earth," "From Space to People," "From Space to the Cosmos," and "Space Technologies." We also aim to offer a place where doctoral students and early-career researchers can broaden their own research through discussions with colleagues in different fields. And rather than keeping these activities within the university, we will work with research institutions and companies in Japan and abroad to bring the results of our research to society.

Launching new research questions out of dialogue across disciplines, and nurturing them into interdisciplinary fields of study — we will move forward steadily so that WASC becomes a home for space research that is distinctively Waseda. We would be grateful for your support in this endeavor.

Director, Waseda Space CommonsTetsuya SATO