JAXA J-SPARC Co-Creation "Conversational Cognitive Interface for Spacecraft" Begins

— Mission Buddy Demonstrated in Hayabusa2 Live Broadcast —

EDENA Inc. has been advancing a co-creation initiative for the "Conversational Cognitive Interface for Spacecraft" with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) since June 2026, under the framework of the JAXA Space Innovation through Partnership and Co-creation (J-SPARC). This initiative makes use of Mission Buddy, a conversational cognitive interface program.

Mission Buddy has now been featured on JAXA J-SPARC's project introduction page. In addition, during the live broadcast of Hayabusa2's Torifune flyby on July 5, 2026, a demonstration using the conversational interface was conducted.

What Is Mission Buddy

Mission Buddy is not simply a character's voice. It is a conversational cognitive interface through which spacecraft such as probes and satellites speak in their own "voice" and respond to users' questions. Rather than a mechanism that merely anthropomorphizes a spacecraft, it understands the mission spirit and purpose, and aims to connect researchers, operators, educational institutions, and the general public through "conversation," based on mission information, observation data, operational knowledge, and research outcomes.

For example, a child visiting an exhibition hall might ask, "Where are you flying now?" and the probe would answer, in its own voice and in multiple languages, about its current journey and the purpose of its mission. Or, in the field, an operator might question the spacecraft as naturally as speaking to a colleague, accessing past data and reducing cognitive load.

The initiative is grounded in the principle of Human in the Loop (HITL): final decisions are always made by a human.

Demonstrated in the Hayabusa2 Live Broadcast

In the live broadcast on July 5, 2026, the basic concept of Mission Buddy was introduced through a dialogue experience with the probe — natural communication with a spacecraft, cognitive support through AI, and operations in which humans retain the final say. EDENA Representative Director Yoshihisa Ideguchi appeared in the broadcast and, together with the voice of the digital twin "Haya-two-kun," introduced the Mission Buddy dialogue experience.

What EDENA Planned, Developed, Customized, and Implemented for This Day

In preparation for the July 5 live demonstration, EDENA carried out the following in a remarkably short period of time:

• Implementation of the conversational "voice": Through support from Cent Force, Japan's leading talent agency known for voices that "convey truth" and "reach the heart," and technical collaboration leveraging ElevenLabs' emotion-tagging technology — a global leader in AI voice technology — EDENA developed an original dialogue system, "RaShiSaAI." Building on the already beloved "Haya-two-kun" voice, EDENA implemented a conversational voice imbued with the mission spirit and knowledge of Hayabusa2, at a quality comparable to a major motion picture, in the astonishing span of about four weeks.
• Construction of a PC- and smartphone-compatible audition system and a live-broadcast conversational system: In line with the demanding schedule of the Hayabusa2 extended mission team ahead of the Torifune flyby, EDENA built a voice audition system that allows intuitive listening and voting, fully functional on smartphones. It also completed the voice of "Digital Twin Haya-two-kun" in time for the July 5 flyby — a system that ensures HITL (a proprietary guardrail that keeps AI from making incorrect statements through human oversight) while understanding context, retaining long-term memory of conversation partners, and estimating age, literacy, emotion, and intent to deliver responsive, personalized dialogue in real time.

Key Visual — Piggy / Mission Buddy

At the center of the visual featured on JAXA J-SPARC's project introduction page is the character Piggy. Though it appears as an endearing figure resembling a pig's snout, it in fact represents "Lassie," a unit of EDENA's personalized AI dialogue engine "RaShiSaAI," embracing "Tummy," a unit that supports translation.

Tagline — Explore Together

The message behind Mission Buddy is "explore together." Deepening the exploration of space means deepening mutual understanding. This project embodies the wish for people and AI to explore new knowledge and experiences together, through understanding one another.

Looking Ahead

This co-creation will continue as a business concept co-creation phase under J-SPARC through fiscal 2026–2027, with plans to apply the approach to JAXA space missions beyond Hayabusa2, and to demonstrate it at operational sites and science exhibitions.

Through Mission Buddy, EDENA will continue to advance research and social implementation of conversational cognitive interfaces that allow people and AI to collaborate with peace of mind — not only in the space field but beyond it. Together with JAXA and a range of partners, EDENA aims to realize a future in which "dialogue deepens relationships."

This work is ongoing at RaShiSaAI Lab.