Kyushu University

Kyushu University is one of Japan's seven former Imperial Universities, established in 1911 in Fukuoka. It is a comprehensive research university covering all disciplines, with particular strength in aerospace engineering and space sciences through its Laboratory of Spacecraft Environment Interaction Engineering (LaSEINE) and the Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences.

Kyushu University is the originator and global hub of the BIRDS programme — a joint educational project giving developing countries their first satellite. Under BIRDS (Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds CubeSat), Kyushu University mentors student teams from nations with no prior satellite experience to design, build, test, and operate 1U CubeSats. BIRDS missions have been launched from the International Space Station via JAXA since 2017. As of 2026, more than 30 satellites have been built under the BIRDS programme representing 20+ countries across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, including Ghana (GHANASAT-1), Nigeria (NIGERIASAT), Mongolia, Philippines, Bhutan, Japan, Malaysia, and many others.

Beyond BIRDS, Kyushu University students have contributed to QSAT-EOS — a 12U CubeSat for Earth observation and space weather research — and maintain close ties with JAXA and the Japanese aerospace industry.