Tag: Japan
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Axiom Space Establishes Japan Subsidiary for Asia-Pacific Expansion
Why is Axiom Space launching a subsidiary in Japan? Axiom Space is establishing a Japanese subsidiary to capitalize on Japan’s $4.2 billion annual space budget and accelerating commercial LEO ambitions. The Houston-based commercial space station developer sees Japan as a critical gateway to the Asia-Pacific region, where government and enterprise demand for orbital infrastructure is…
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PLD Space Raises €180 Million Series C Led by Mitsubishi Electric
Spanish launch company PLD Space has raised €180 million ($209.5 million) in a Series C funding round, bringing its total funding to more than €350 million, the company said. The round was led by Mitsubishi Electric and included investment from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, COFIDES and Nazca Capital. PLD Space said…
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Space One’s Kairos Rocket Launch Fails Again on Third Attempt in Japan
Japanese launch startup Space One Co said its Kairos rocket mission ended unsuccessfully on Thursday after the vehicle aborted flight during ascent shortly after liftoff. The third unit of the Kairos rocket lifted off at around 11:10 a.m. local time from Space Port Kii in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture. The company said the rocket terminated its…
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Launch Preview: Japan to launch Kairos as Falcon 9 launches Starlink missions
Five missions are expected to launch this week, with Falcon 9 scheduled to launch four Starlink missions from Florida and California. Internationally, Japan is to launch its Kairos rocket for the third time, hoping for success on this attempt following two previous launch failures. The week will also feature several notable milestones, with SpaceX aiming…
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ESA Awards €81.2 Million Contract for Apophis Asteroid Mission
The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded OHB Italia an €81.2 million contract to build, assemble and test the spacecraft for its Ramses mission, which will study the asteroid Apophis during a rare close flyby of Earth in 2029. The contract signals that the mission has entered full development following approval of funding at ESA’s…
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Japan Says Damage Caused Failure of H3 Rocket Launch, JAXA Reports
Japan’s space agency said damage sustained during flight caused last month’s failure of an H3 rocket launch, according to findings released as part of an ongoing investigation. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the No. 8 H3 rocket was damaged shortly after liftoff when the payload fairing — the cover protecting the satellite — separated.…
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Interstellar Technologies Raises $130 Million in Series F to Advance Japan’s Private Launch Capabilities
Interstellar Technologies said it has completed 20.1 billion yen ($129.7 million) in Series F financing, one of the largest fundraising rounds to date for a privately held space startup in Japan, as the company accelerates development of its orbital launch vehicle and satellite business. The round was completed through a third-party allotment of new shares…
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Japan Defence Ministry Awards Astroscale Contract to Develop Satellite Gripping Technology
Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has awarded Astroscale Japan a contract valued at 1 billion yen ($6.4 million) to develop a gripping mechanism designed for use with national satellites, the company said. Under the contract, Astroscale Japan will design the mechanism and conduct ground-based demonstrations to test its ability to grip national security satellites under…
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Rocket Lab Launches iQPS Satellite on Sixth Mission for Japanese Earth-Imaging Firm
*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(–header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]” dir=”auto” tabindex=”-1″ data-turn-id=”request-WEB:7adac108-e90a-45dc-9fe0-7a16dc96bce8-1″ data-testid=”conversation-turn-4″ data-scroll-anchor=”true” data-turn=”assistant” style=”height: auto !important;”> Rocket Lab successfully launched its sixth mission for Japanese Earth-imaging company iQPS on Tuesday, deploying another satellite to strengthen the firm’s constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) spacecraft. An Electron rocket carrying the QPS-SAR-14 satellite, named Yachihoko-I, lifted off from Rocket Lab’s…
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Japan’s ispace and ElevationSpace Plan First Lunar Sample Return Mission
Japanese space exploration firm ispace, inc. said on Sunday it will partner with in-orbit transportation startup ElevationSpace to develop a private lunar mission that would return samples from the Moon, marking a first for the country if successful. The two companies plan to combine ispace’s orbital transport vehicle with ElevationSpace’s reentry capsule technology to enable…