Black Hole Explorer Mission Development in Japan
Kazunori Akiyama, Mareki Honma, Akihiro Doi, Shoko Koyama, Kotaro Niinuma, Kazuhiro Hada, Yuto Akiyama, Rebecca Baturin, Peter Galison, Paul Grimes, Yoshiaki Hagiwara, Takayuki J. Hayashi, Aya E. Higuchi, Janice Houston, Michael D. Johnson, Tomohisa Kawashima, Daniel P. Marrone, Yosuke Murayama, Ken Ohsuga, Hannah Rana, Hidetoshi Sano, Edward Tong, Yuh Tsunetoe, Yoshinori Uzawa
Abstract
The Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) is a next-generation space very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) mission concept that will extend existing ground-based millimeter/submillimeter VLBI arrays to space. The Japanese astronomical community has contributed to BHEX mission development through the BHEX Japan Consortium, established in 2023. This paper provides a high-level summary of progress in Japan since 2024, including the establishment of the Black Hole Explorer Working Group (BHEX WG) at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), JAXA, to conduct the Japanese side of the Pre-Phase~A mission studies. We outline recent advances in key instrument technologies, including concept design studies of a 4.5\,K closed-cycle mechanical cryocooler and prototype development of an ultra-wideband 300\,GHz Superconductor--Insulator--Superconductor (SIS) mixer for BHEX. We also describe ongoing upgrades to Japan's ground infrastructure to support 86\,GHz observations with VERA and simultaneous 86+230\,GHz observations with the Nobeyama 45\,m Telescope.
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