March 12, 2025 — Tokyo, Japan

During the IM-2 Athena mission, the lunar rover Yaoki successfully operated on the surface of the Moon, marking yet another historic achievement for Dymon and JAOPS. Following a challenging soft landing, the mission began in an unexpectedly difficult configuration due to the lander's final orientation.

Yaoki’s operation officially started March 7 at 02:17:51 UTC and the final command was sent at 04:32:30 UTC. Despite the complexities posed by the landing position, Yaoki successfully activated, executed commands, and transmitted valuable data for over two hours, pushing the boundaries for small private rovers on the lunar surface.

The rover was operated using Yamcs, an open-source mission control software platform, configured and controlled by the JAOPS team.

Although Yaoki was originally designed and tested to be deployed from any position, the combination of power constraints from the lander, the incorrect landing orientation, and the extremely low temperatures—due to the lack of power for heaters in this particular configuration—ultimately prevented Yaoki from exiting the deployer platform.

Despite these challenges, Yaoki operators carefully tested all possible subsystems and command configurations to raise the technology readiness of the Yaoki platform. In total, 25 images were downlinked, and more than two hours of continuous telemetry data were acquired, setting a new record for the smallest private rover operating on the Moon’s surface.

Picture taken by the Yaoki rover on the Moon showing the dark lunar surface around the lander, the bright crater rim (top left) and one of the IM-2 lander's legs (bottom)

Yaoki continued sending telemetry and images nominally until 04:32 UTC when the IM-2 lander terminated all payload communications.

The mission’s success was made possible by a highly coordinated and dedicated team, including:

• Flight Director: Shinichiro Nakajima

• Rover Controller: Louis Burtz

• Flight Software Lead: Toshiki Nakamura

• Communications & Ground Systems: Alejandro Sela

CEO Comments

Shinichiro Nakajima, CEO of Dymon, commented:

"Yaoki’s performance under such difficult conditions is a testament to the resilience of the rover’s design and the exceptional teamwork between Dymon and JAOPS. Even though we faced numerous challenges, we were able to demonstrate successful lunar operations for a small private rover, achieving significant technological milestones. I am incredibly proud of our team and our partners."

Alejandro Sela, CEO of JAOPS, stated:

"This mission showcased the importance of adaptability and international collaboration. Despite the odds, we managed to operate Yaoki, gather critical data, and break new ground for future small rover missions. The seamless cooperation between JAOPS and Dymon, combined with innovative use of open-source tools such as Yamcs, allowed us to maximize the mission’s success while making improvements that will benefit the community. This achievement marks a crucial step for both organizations as we continue to pioneer lunar exploration."

JAOPS has flight heritage! We operated the Dymon co.,ltd. Yaoki rover on the Moon!

Amazing experience at Intuitive Machines control center who managed exceptionally the Operations. A big step for our team who managed to design and deploy our portable MCC based on the Open-Source Mission Control System: Yamcs.

Our team is already going back to Tokyo for the next mission tomorrow at Sagamihara JAXA: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency with the Space Robotics Laboratory for the next generation of lunar robots.

Never Fly Alone!

Tomorrow marks a historic moment as Yaoki, the world’s smallest privately funded lunar rover developed by Dymon, is expected to land on the Moon. This ambitious mission is a testament to how innovation and persistence are driving the future of space exploration — not just for large agencies, but for pioneering startups as well.
Yaoki, with its compact design and advanced mobility, will explore the lunar surface under the command of JAOPS team, gathering valuable data and showcasing the potential for small-scale, cost-effective rovers to play a key role in future lunar missions.
This milestone highlights the growing collaboration between private space companies, international partnerships, and cutting-edge technology, all pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space exploration.
Congratulations to the Dymon team — and to everyone involved in making this mission a reality. The Moon is just the beginning!

JAOPS participates on the GSTCE 2025

Japan Operations (JAOPS) participated in the International Space Industry Exhibition (ISIEX) held at Tokyo Big Sight from January 29 to 31, 2025. As one of Japan's premier space business exhibitions, ISIEX brought together key players in space development, satellite operations, ground segment services, and related industries.

During the event, JAOPS highlighted its latest advancements in space operations, ground segment technologies, and mission control solutions. The association engaged in discussions on the future of space infrastructure, sustainable operations, and international collaboration, reinforcing its role in shaping the next generation of space-based services.

Our CEO Alejandro participated on the LeanSat event and presented the following topic
Title: The power of Open Source Tools for Mission Operations and EGSE

Abstract: Newspace sector is in high demand of robust and versatile tools for Mission Operations and Testing activities. The Open Source world offers flight heritage and continuous support whilst reducing costs and increased flexibility. JAOPS is selecting, integrating and delevelopping a framework that will allow full lifecycle implementation to cover the most exigent mission. We will present our concept and tool selection as well as the future ideas for collaboration.

JAOPS participated in the International Space Summit in Seoul, South Korea

JAOPS participated in the Drone Days in Tokyo

JAOPS participated in the SpaceOPS workshop in Toulouse

JAOPS participated in the ISIEX 2024 event in Tokyo

JAOPS participated and was part of a panel in the 7th Global Moon Village Workshop in Kurashiki, Japan

JAOPS participated at the Nihonbashi Space Week in Tokyo