By: Naransuvd Bazarsad
Edited by: Ahmed Labib Daiyan
(courtesy of APU ASAP)
ASAP, APU’s very own astronomical society, held its first-ever event through zoom earlier this month, titled “ASAP in orbit”. The introductory event provided students with an informative yet interactive session that introduced interesting points about the space business opportunities here in Oita, Japan. The event consisted of a discussion with guest speaker Hidetaki Aoki and interactive activities for students to get to know more about ASAP.
According to the ASAP team,
“ASAP in Orbit was organized in order to kick off our organization's objective to inspire and make APU students aware of advancements in the space business sector in Oita.”
The guest speaker, Hidetaka Aoki, introduced many points disclosing the space ventures that are currently happening in Oita. Mr. Aoki, who is referred to as a “Space Business Evangelist'', has worked on many initiatives and projects to promote the space business in Japan. He has taken part in many of Japan’s space projects such as Japan’s first-ever spacecraft, the Kounotori, and is also a co-founder of Spaceport Japan, an organization advocating for space businesses in Japan and overseas.
During the first part of the event, Mr. Aoki introduced Spaceport Oita and its importance to Oita and the APU community. Oita prefecture recently partnered with Virgin Orbit, a small satellite launch company to establish a launch site at Oita Airport, now simultaneously known as Spaceport Oita. Mr. Aoki expressed that, “Huge business and collaborative opportunities will arise for APU students in the future, as well as economic and tourism opportunities for Oita as a result of this project.”
This comes as exciting news for APU students who are interested in the space business or want to be involved in a leading business enterprise. With many intriguing questions asked by the students to Mr. Aoki, the ASAP team expressed that in addition to the participants’ interest in astronomy, they realized a lot of the students are also aware of what’s happening in Oita and have the desire to be a part of it.
(courtesy of APU ASAP)
The second half of the event focused on bringing the participants together to meet new people through ice-breaking games and an interactive contest called “Houston, We Have a Problem”. The interactive contest was a lively way for the students to test their knowledge about our solar system and learn more about it from each other. “Students desire a platform to gain knowledge and explore their interests on this matter, and that is what we strive to achieve.” added the ASAP team, talking about their goals for the circle.
ASAP’s first event successfully took a big step in raising awareness about advancements in the space business and connecting students who share the same interest in astronomy at APU, as well as paving the way for collaborations with other organizations in the space business in the future. The ASAP team concluded that, “We will be conducting many similar activities in the future by connecting our university to different affiliates and the local community in Oita so as to inspire more people to join us in this journey.”
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