Hydroid, Inc., a subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime and a leading manufacturer of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), announced that it received an order for a New Generation REMUS 6000 AUV from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science Technology (JAMSTEC) as part of the Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP): Innovative Technology for Exploration of Deep-Sea Resources. This initiative is within the framework of the Cross-Ministerial Programs undertaken by the Cabinet Office of Japan.

A female Japanese astronaut is heading a new Space Colony Research center in Tokyo, as part of an effort to find out if the human species can live in space. Chiaki Mukai is utilizing cutting-edge technology in a bid to find out the answer to the age old question.