The Asian Try Zero-G 2025 Flight Items were Launched!

The experiment equipment for use in space was prepared by JAXA and by Digital Blast Inc. (DB), which is partnering with ATZ-G. Once all items are gathered, a process called ‘flight conversion’ (making the items ready for launch on a rocket) is performed. There are many steps involved in flight conversion.

To perform the experiments proposed by students in space, the experiment equipment must be verified for use in the space environment, and improvements are made as necessary. For ATZ-G 2025, several adaptations were made: for example, the paper airplane experiment proposed by Japanese students was refined with a folding technique that allows it to fly better. For the experiments proposed by students from Thailand and the UAE, respectively, a single piece of experiment hardware that satisfies the objectives of both experiments by using common items was created, effectively allowing two experiments to be performed with one piece of equipment. Furthermore, DB selected springs suitable for space experiments and attached a weight between two springs to observe the oscillation, allowing students to observe the amplitude and vibration for their experiment. Additionally, by using a lightweight, heat-resistant rope instead of the string the students had planned to use, it became easier to observe the amplitude, thus ensuring that the objectives of both experimental themes could be achieved. (Figure 2)

Accurate measurements of the overall size and weight of the cargo are crucial, as an imbalance in its center of gravity could potentially affect the rocket's launch trajectory. Although the Flight Items used in ATZ-G 2025 are all lightweight, DB meticulously measured the dimensions and weight of each item at the Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC) before handing them over to the team responsible for loading them onto the rocket.

The ISS stores a large quantity of items, so the astronauts must locate the specific tools or equipment required for a given task from within this inventory. To prevent the use of incorrect items, these are managed uniformly across the entire ISS using OpNom, a specialized nomenclature system designed for in-orbit operations. DB created OpNoms for all items required for this ATZ-G 2025 mission and affixed OpNom labels to each item. This task is also necessary during flight preparation to ensure labels are placed correctly, and item names do not confuse astronauts.

The safety requirements for all Flight Items were verified, and DB collected material information from the manufacturer of each item and created a Material Identification and Usage List (MIUL). This list verifies, at the material level, that the items meet the ISS safety requirements regarding flammability, toxicity, and outgassing (gases released from organic materials in a vacuum environment), thereby inspecting and confirming whether the items can be safely used in orbit. Additionally, DB identified potentially hazardous situations that could arise during the experiments and considered how to control them. The results of this review were compiled into a document called the Safety Assessment Report (SAR). This document was submitted to and approved by JAXA's internal safety management committee.

Among the items being launched this time, some were prepared by DB to maximize the fulfillment of the proposers' experimental intent while still meeting safety standards. One such example is the Shaping Water Experiment (Observing the Shape of Water using Stainless Steel Wire in a Microgravity Environment), proposed by a student from Bangladesh. This experiment involves injecting colored water into wires shaped into forms such as circles, squares, and triangles to observe what shape the water takes in microgravity. When shaping the wire into a circle or square, the ends of the wire are wrapped around the wire itself to create the form. To ensure safety, the preparation team took steps to make the equipment safe for the astronauts: the sharp ends of the wrapped sections were rounded with a file, and then Polyimide adhesive tape was wrapped over them (Figure 3).

To deliver the Flight Items to the ISS, they must be transported by rocket. This time, the Flight Items were loaded onto and carried by the Japanese cargo transfer spacecraft HTV-X1, the first of the new-generation H-III Transfer Vehicles, which was launched on October 26 and captured by astronaut YUI Kimiya aboard the ISS on October 30. Furthermore, for the HTV-X1 launch, JAXA hosted an online event to connect with experiment proposers from various countries online for our first joint YouTube viewing of the event. After the launch, the items will be stored in orbit, and preparations will continue with the aim of having Astronaut YUI perform the experiments around mid-January 2026.