Source: Peatix

What does humanity really need to "continue to survive" in space?

As we move towards 2030, space is transitioning from a place of exploration to a space base where people can stay for a long time. At the heart of this is an ECLSS (External Comprehensive Life Support System) that integrates the management of air, water, temperature, and circulation.

At this event, Makoto Sakurai, a leading expert on life support systems at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Atsushi Ishii, CEO of Cougar, will be speaking about the reality of space habitation supported by ECLSS, the potential for AI control necessary for life support, and the strengths Japan has cultivated.

[Event Overview]
Talking with JAXA about technology for "surviving in space"
--Life support systems supporting space bases in 2030 and Japan's strengths

Date and time | February 6, 2026 (Friday) 19:00-22:00 (doors open 18:45)
Venue: Theater Guild Daikanyama (11-6 Sarugakucho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
Participation fee: 3,000 yen (prepayment)
Organizer ｜Sphear
Capacity: 30 people (first come, first served, application required)

*Only at the venue (no online streaming)
*Please present two business cards at the reception (one of which will be given to you at the reception)
*If you don't have a business card, you can write your name on the card.

【Cancellation policy】
Please note that cancellations (refunds) are not accepted after purchase. Tickets are "transferable."

Why "Space x AI" now?
Building a moon base, commercializing space travel, long-term exploration missions to Mars - what was once science fiction is now becoming reality. This "next frontier for humanity" is an area where AI will be most effective.

Extreme environments, remote operation from Earth, limited resources, unexpected troubles... Overcoming these challenges requires not only complementing and expanding human judgment, but also comprehensive utilization of AI, robotics, and human interaction, including autonomous control of rockets and robots, navigation of probes, environmental recognition, and optimization of communications.

[Timetable]
18:45 Doors open (reception begins)
19:00-19:10 "Sphear - Using AI to Challenge Human Space Migration"
19:10–19:40 "The challenge of BLSS: creating a life-sustaining environment using the power of plants and microorganisms"
Atsushi Ishii (CEO of Cougar Inc.)
19:40–20:20 "The Reality of Space Habitat Supported by ECLSS"
Masato Sakurai (Chief Researcher, Research and Development Directorate, JAXA)
20:20–20:50 Panel discussion
Masato Sakurai, Atsushi Ishii, Marika Amano (Moderator)
20:50–21:00 Lightning Talk
Sharing knowledge and information (sales talk is prohibited)
21:00–22:00 Social gathering (light snacks and drinks included)
Networking time between speakers and participants

[What is Sphear?]
Sphear is a community centered around "Space x AI" that aims to accelerate the migration to the Moon and Mars. Transcending specialized fields such as AI, robotics, and space engineering, people with diverse perspectives, including engineers, designers, architects, educators, psychologists, and artists, come together to envision a new future through free thinking and dialogue.

[Speakers]

Masato Sakurai
Research Area Director, Research Unit 2, JAXA Research and Development Directorate

He holds a PhD in Engineering from the Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Waseda University, and is a member of the Second Research Unit of the JAXA Research and Development Directorate, a visiting professor at Tokyo University of Science, a part-time lecturer at Waseda University, and a fellow at the Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences. He specializes in chemical engineering and is researching Marangoni convection (surface tension-driven convection), a convection phenomenon that also occurs in space. He is currently focusing on air and water recycling, and is working to contribute to future international manned exploration using Japan's environmental technology.

Atsushi Ishii
Cougar CEO

After working at IBM Japan, he was responsible for the development of large-scale search engines for Rakuten and Lycos. He then oversaw online game development across Japan, the US, and Korea, provided technical support to top teams in the Amazon Robotics Challenge, provided an AI learning simulator to Honda, and oversaw NEDO's cloud robotics development. He is currently developing the humanoid AI platform "LUDENS." He was a lecturer at Stanford University's 2018 AI Special Lecture and a former visiting researcher at the University of Electro-Communications. He is also the representative of the Japan branch of the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance.

【 host 】

Marika Amano |

As a reporter, he has been involved in on-site reporting on natural disasters, crimes, and politics, and later worked as a director and news desk for news programs. Based on his past experiences, he is currently exploring the nature of communication that connects space and society.

[Recommended for these people]
Those who have a strong interest in space and AI
People interested in space-related startups and JAXA technology
People involved in robotics, image recognition, natural language processing, etc.
Those who want to understand space migration from the perspective of user interaction and human interface
Seeking cross-disciplinary ideas and colleagues

Venue