Interview: May 20, 2010

For the development of the asteroid probe Hayabusa, NEC joined the project as a system integrator, and Shinji Hagino, from NEC, worked as a Project Manager to lead a team of NEC engineers. Under the powerful leadership of Junichiro Kawaguchi of the ISAS of JAXA, he listened to requests of universities and research centers, collaborated with other manufacturers, and found solutions for integrating various conflicting requirements. Finally, Hayabusa was developed, the only asteroid probe of its kind. The whole process took 14 years since 1997, when development began. Hagino saw off Hayabusa at its launch and participated in mission operations.

Hagino, who knows everything about Hayabusa, participated in the final operations as a member of the operations team in order to safely land the re-entry capsule in the Woomera Desert in Australia.

Image of re-entry capsule

Shinji Hagino,
Manager of Space and Satellite Systems Department,
Space Systems Division,
NEC Corporation

Joined the company in 1985. Worked 21 years on system design of scientific satellites and is currently in charge of project management of Hayabusa and other scientific satellites.

 

• Top Page

• The Hayabusa team challenge

  • Tale 1: Connecting Space and Earth

  • Tale 2: Hayabusa returns after overcoming many obstacles

    • Designing Hayabusa from scratch

    • Hayabusa has both birth parents and foster parents

  • Tale 3: The miracles brought about by the ion engines

  • Tale 4: People who made the long journey possible

  • Tale 5: Creating Hayabusa, the only probe of its kind

• What is Hayabusa?

  • Hayabusa at a glance

  • Hayabusa-related information Q&A

• NEC Space Solutions

  • Space systems
  • Asteroid probe Hayabusa
  • Ion Engine
  • Satellite bus system NEXTAR

• Space business group
  companies

  • NEC Toshiba Space Systems