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Miyamoto Lab
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The lab explores celestial bodies in the solar system and aims to develop space resources.
AboutAbout the lab
Toward the new field of space resources science
The Miyamoto Lab studies space resources science, a new academic field.
The lab participates in exploration missions led by JAXA, NASA, and others, investigating the surfaces of asteroids, Mars, and the Moon to understand the true nature of the resources found there.
From their undergraduate years, students can work with actual data obtained from exploration missions and conduct research related to those missions.
No prior knowledge of space or Earth science is required, as long as you are interested in doing cutting-edge research.
Key terms
- Space resources
- Resources such as water and metals found on celestial bodies beyond Earth, including the Moon and asteroids
- Ground-penetrating radar
- An instrument that sends radio waves into the ground and examines subsurface conditions from the waves reflected back
- Sample return
- When a spacecraft collects rocks or sand from a celestial body and brings them back to Earth
NewsLab news
View More ↗ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies space resources science, which combines the science of investigating celestial bodies in the solar system with the engineering of developing resources. Working with JAXA, NASA, and universities and companies in Japan and abroad, it covers everything from participating in exploration missions to developing exploration technologies and discussing resources and civilization.
*Illustrative imageSolar System Exploration and Development of Exploration Technologies
The lab participates in missions such as Hayabusa2 and the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) sample return mission, studying the surface layers of celestial bodies from geological and geophysical perspectives. Together with researchers in Japan and abroad, it also develops new exploration methods for finding space resources, such as radio sounders.
*Illustrative imageSpace Resources Grounded in Scientific Knowledge
This research aims to understand the true nature of space resources by clarifying the conditions of celestial surfaces and the mechanisms by which elements and minerals become concentrated. For LUPEX, a mission to search for lunar resources, the lab is also developing a ground-penetrating radar to estimate resource quantities.
*Illustrative imageConsidering Resources and Civilization from a Broad Perspective
The lab discusses expanding humanity's sphere of activity into space from perspectives that include not only science and engineering but also the humanities and social sciences. In collaboration with the University Museum and others, it has held exhibitions on the themes of civilization and resources.
*Illustrative imageAutomatic Rock Particle Identification Algorithm
Using an original AI-based algorithm, the lab automatically identifies countless rock particles in images and derives the distributions of their size and shape. Developed out of challenges such as those posed by Hayabusa2, it has been used to analyze asteroid images and the crater of Mount Fuji.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Miyamoto Lab consist of faculty, project researchers, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2025
- ProfessorHideaki MiyamotoPublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
Compiled from answers by students who were in the lab. Ratings and reviews reflect individual students' experiences, not the lab's official views.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Hayabusa2 near Ryugu ( )” DLR German Aerospace Center / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Solar System Exploration and Development of Exploration Technologies: “Phobos colour 2008” NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona / Public domain (cropped)
- Space Resources Grounded in Scientific Knowledge: “JSC-1A lunar simulant 60X.agr” ArnoldReinhold / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Considering Resources and Civilization from a Broad Perspective: “Mineral Resources Display” PAULIX04 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Automatic Rock Particle Identification Algorithm: “Images of asteroid Ryugu from the wide angle Optical Navigation Cameras (ONC-W1 and ONC-W2) via Hayabusa2” JAXA ほか
（は やぶさ2 ONCチーム） / CC BY 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (Aoyama Lab): “The production line” Jincong Peng / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Geosphere Environmental Systems Lab): “Layers of sedimentary rock formed on the earth's surface. 5310” AlixSaz / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Konno Lab): “Burning methane hydrate” USGS / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Saito Lab): “Onkalo driving tunnel” kallerna / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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