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Akita Lab
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A lab that conceives aerospace systems that make clever use of the space environment.
AboutAbout the lab
Envisioning space systems of the distant future.
Akita Lab builds on aerodynamics to study aerospace systems while imagining the distant future.
The lab is particularly interested in passive systems that make clever use of the diverse environments of space, which may look harsh at first glance.
Examples include things not immediately associated with space, such as yachts, balloons, and kites.
Starting from new ideas that are not an extension of past approaches, the lab aims to create appealing missions and systems that only a university could produce.
Key terms
- Aerodynamics
- The study of the flow of air around objects and the forces that flow exerts on them
- Atmospheric entry
- Plunging at high speed from space into the atmosphere of a planet or Earth, which subjects the vehicle to intense heating
- Solar wind
- A stream of electrically charged particles (plasma) blowing out from the Sun
ResearchResearch themes
Based on aerodynamics, the lab studies planetary exploration systems, planetary atmospheric entry vehicles, space transportation systems, sail-type space propulsion, stratospheric balloons, and more. It is interested in passive mechanisms that make clever use of the diverse environments of space.
*Illustrative imageSoft Atmospheric Entry Vehicles
When landing on a planet with an atmosphere, a vehicle must withstand a high-temperature environment like that of a shooting star. The lab is developing a vehicle in cooperation with other universities and JAXA, based on the idea that opening an "umbrella" might let it return slowly, like a falling leaf.
*Illustrative imageSpace Yachts Using the Solar Wind
Space is filled with a wind of plasma called the solar wind. If this wind can be used well, it may be possible to travel through space the way a yacht sails across the sea. The idea is to use energy that is already available on the spot rather than a large amount of fuel.
*Illustrative imageLow-Cost, Safe Space Transportation
For people to travel between the ground and space safely at low cost, reusable rockets are needed. The lab is more interested in what the system should look like, and in how the cycle of research and development, operations, and investment should work, than in technology development itself.
*Illustrative imagePlanetary Exploration Using Balloons
Landers can explore only a limited area, but exploring from the sky with balloons allows free movement over a wide area, and requires neither fuel nor electric power. The lab is considering approaches such as inflating balloons in orbit and then dropping them onto the planet.
MembersFaculty
The members of Akita Lab consist of faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, and exchange students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorDaisuke AkitaPublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
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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: “10deg-Mach3-cone-PSUSWT-color-schlieren” Settles1 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Soft Atmospheric Entry Vehicles: “593431main pia14835-full full Deceleration of Mars Science Laboratory in Martian Atmosphere, Artist's Concept” NASA/JPL-Caltech / Public domain (cropped)
- Space Yachts Using the Solar Wind: “Advanced Composite Solar Sail System Artist’s Concept 1 (ACS3 SolarSailTurntableWithSun)” NASA Ames Research Center / NASA/Aero Animation/Ben Schweighart / Public domain (cropped)
- Low-Cost, Safe Space Transportation: “Apollo 4 liftoff - GPN” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
- Planetary Exploration Using Balloons: “NASA Scientific Balloon in Antarctica ( )” NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (神田研究室): “Tokyo Tower, Minato City” David Kernan / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (笠井研究室): “Top of Atmosphere” NASA Earth Observatory / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (大友順一郎研究室): “Natural Gas Corp. of N.Z. Ammonia-Urea Plant at Kapuni ( )” Archives New Zealand from New Zealand / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (分山研究室): “Pylons carrying electricity transmission lines - geograph.org.uk - 7869746” Jim Smillie / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
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