Tag: Japan
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Japanese cargo ship ends mission after space debris experiment flounders
Artist’s concept of how the tether for Japan’s KITE experiment would have appeared when deployed from the HTV supply ship. Credit: JAXA Japan’s HTV supply ship fell to Earth on Sunday more than a week after leaving the International Space Station, burning up in the atmosphere after officials gave up on an experiment looking into…
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Japanese cargo craft departs space station
The HTV 6 supply ship leaves the International Space Station on Friday. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now Japan’s sixth HTV supply ship departed the International Space Station on Friday and headed for a destructive re-entry over the South Pacific with trash and disused batteries from the research lab, but engineers will first use the spacecraft for…
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Japan puts its first military communications satellite into orbit
The H-2A rocket’s four solid rocket boosters and LE-7A main engine are seen firing seconds after liftoff Tuesday. The rocket flew in the rarely-used most powerful “204” configuration designed to loft heavier cargo. Credit: NVS on YouTube A Japanese H-2A rocket took off Tuesday with a communications satellite to relay messages and commands among the…
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Japanese H-IIA rocket launches DSN-2 military satellite
Japan has conducted the launch of the DSN-2 military communications satellite on Tuesday via its H-IIA rocket. Liftoff from the Tanegashima was on schedule at 16:44 local time (07:44 UTC), which was the opening of a 78-minute launch window. The spacecraft was successfully deployed. Japanese Launch: Tuesday’s mission was Japan’s second dedicated commercial launch, following…
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H-2A rocket primed for launch of Japanese military communications satellite
File photo of an H-2A rocket on its launch pad at Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. The rocket slated to launch the DSN 2 satellite will fly in the same “204” configuration with four solid rocket boosters. Credit: JAXA The first communications satellite dedicated to support Japanese military forces will launch Tuesday on top of an…
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Japanese spacecraft spots planet-spanning wave on Venus
In these images from Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft, a stationary bow wave is seen on Venus over several days in December 2015. Credit: JAXA Images from Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft have revealed a gigantic wave in the atmosphere of Venus, and scientists say it may be the largest such feature in the solar system. The bow-shaped wave…
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Experimental flight of Japanese sounding rocket falls short of orbit
Credit: JAXA A small research rocket launched from Japan fell into the Pacific Ocean on Saturday after attempting to send a student-built CubeSat into orbit, Japanese officials said. The three-stage rocket took off at 2333 GMT (6:33 p.m. EST) Saturday from the Uchinoura Space Center in southern Japan’s Kagoshima prefecture, four days after inclement weather…
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Launch of experimental Japanese rocket scrubbed
The SS-520-4 launcher is in position for liftoff in this photo from the Uchinoura Space Center taken Monday. Credit: JAXA The launch of an experimental fin-stabilized Japanese rocket with a shoebox-sized CubeSat was scrubbed Tuesday, pushing back a test flight to demonstrate how companies and institutions can inexpensively put small satellites in space. The modified…
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Arianespace nets two commercial launch contracts
File photo of an Ariane 5 rocket on its launch pad at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Photo Optique Video du CSG – P. Piron Arianespace has opened the year with two contracts to deliver commercial television and broadband satellites to orbit aboard Ariane 5 rockets launched from French…
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Photos: Arianespace caps 2016 campaign with successful Ariane 5 flight
The Ariane 5 rocket’s 90th launch Wednesday carried two communications satellites to orbit to join the fleets of Embratel Star One and SKY Perfect JSAT, regional space-based telecom providers in Brazil and Japan. The 180-foot-tall (55-meter) rocket blasted off at 2030 GMT (3:30 p.m. EST; 5:30 p.m. French Guiana time) Wednesday from the European-run Guiana…