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Ogawa-Odagiri Lab
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A lab opening the way to future space science and exploration through thermal control.
AboutAbout the lab
Opening the way to future space science and exploration through thermal control
The Ogawa-Odagiri Lab studies spacecraft thermal control technology and the thermal design of systems.
The role of a thermal control system is to keep onboard equipment at appropriate temperatures in the harsh thermal environment of space.
Faculty members and research and development staff of the lab have been responsible for the thermal design of many spacecraft, including the Mercury exploration mission BepiColombo and the X-ray spectroscopic imaging satellite XRISM.
A distinctive feature of the lab is its "real-world setting," where members can work consistently from basic research and applied research to the thermal design of actual projects.
Key terms
- Thermal control
- Technology for keeping spacecraft equipment and components within a specified temperature range
- Heat pipe
- A tube in which an internal liquid repeatedly evaporates and condenses, carrying heat while using almost no electric power
- Radiative cooling
- A mechanism that cools objects by releasing heat into space as light, such as infrared radiation
NewsLab news
A master's student received the Outstanding Student Presentation Award at the Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences
JAXA and SOLIZE jointly developed a loop heat pipe made with a metal 3D printer
Project Assistant Professor Odagiri received the Young Researcher Encouragement Award from the Japan Heat Pipe Association
A master's student received the Graduate School of Engineering Dean's Award (Research)
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies thermal control technology that keeps spacecraft at appropriate temperatures, as well as the thermal design of systems. By analyzing the requirements and challenges of future missions, and with use in actual missions as a clear goal, the lab's activities center on basic research, applied research, and the design of thermal control systems.
*Illustrative imageTransporting heat through liquid-vapor phase change
The lab studies technologies that transport heat with little power, using devices such as heat pipes that exploit the heat released and absorbed when a liquid evaporates and condenses. The work includes research to widen the usable temperature range and basic research to clarify the physical phenomena inside the devices.
*Illustrative imageSpace thermal devices and autonomous thermal control
The lab studies thermal fluid networks for lunar rovers, autonomous thermal control for deep-space probes, where the heat received from the Sun varies greatly, and cryogenic loop heat pipes for space telescopes.
*Illustrative imageRadiative cooling structures for space telescopes
The lab verifies the radiative cooling structure (V-groove) planned for the LiteBIRD space telescope through small-scale models and tests in a chamber that simulates space. It also develops techniques for measuring emissivity at cryogenic temperatures.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Ogawa-Odagiri Lab are faculty members, master's students, research and development staff from JAXA's research and development division, and secretaries.As of 2026
- ProfessorHiroyuki Ogawa
- Associate ProfessorKimihide Odagiri
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: “BepiColombo spacecraft model” National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) / Public domain (cropped)
- Transporting heat through liquid-vapor phase change: “Heatpipe cpu thermal unit cross section” Tonschrat / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Space thermal devices and autonomous thermal control: “NASA Apollo 17 Lunar Roving Vehicle” NASA / Harrison H. Schmitt / Public domain (cropped)
- Radiative cooling structures for space telescopes: “Model of the Planck Satellite 1” Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (姫野研究室): “Compressor case from turbojet” Olivier Cleynen / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (土屋研究室): “In For Landing ( )” Mathew Schwartz / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (小紫・
小泉研究室): “Hall Effect Thruster in a vacuum chamber” EXOTRAIL SA / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (津江・中谷研究室): “Combustion research ( )” Oak Ridge National Laboratory / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
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