🇳🇴 JAXA president visits Svalbard as Norway and Japan strengthen space cooperation

September 1,  2026

The recent visit of Dr. Hiroshi Yamakawa, President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), to the Svalbard Ground Station highlighted the strong and long-standing relationship between Norway and Japan in the space sector.

The visit provided an opportunity to showcase how decades of cooperation have contributed to scientific discovery, satellite operations and the development of critical space infrastructure.

Svalbard has played a central role in this relationship. Thanks to its unique Arctic location, the archipelago has become highly important for satellite communications and space operations. During his visit, Dr. Yamakawa experienced first-hand how the infrastructure in Svalbard supports missions and services used by organizations around the world.

Over the years, KSAT has worked closely with Japanese customers and partners, including JAXA. Through our global ground station network and satellite services, we support missions that depend on reliable communication between space and Earth.

Dr. Yamakawa’s visit offered a valuable opportunity to demonstrate KSAT’s role in the global space industry and how international cooperation has helped shape our development over the years. It also highlighted the importance of strong partnerships in meeting the growing demand for space-based infrastructure and services.

The presence of Christian Hauglie-Hanssen, Director General of the Norwegian Space Agency, and Marte Indregard, CEO of KSAT, underscored the strategic importance of bilateral space cooperation in the broader Norway-Japan relationship.

The visit comes at a time when cooperation between Norway and Japan continues to evolve. In 2024, KSAT established an office in Tokyo, reinforcing our commitment to the market and a network of partners that we have supported for more than two decades. The local presence enables closer collaboration with customers, partners and stakeholders across Japan and the wider Asian space ecosystem.

We are proud to support JAXA and Japan’s broader space ambitions. Through our shared commitment to advancing space infrastructure and operations, we look forward to strengthening this collaboration in the years ahead.

More information

Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT)
Prestvannvegen 38, 9011 Tromsø, Norway
For more information, visit KSAT.

Originally published on September 1, 2026 by KSAT.