Tag: JAXA
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Juno Propulsion Raises $1.4 Million to Advance Rotating Detonation Engine for Spaceflight Demonstration
Juno Propulsion has secured $1.4 million in pre-seed funding to support the development of its first flight-ready rotating detonation engine (RDE), known as Project Iris, ahead of a planned in-orbit demonstration mission in 2027. The investment round was led by SOSV, with participation from Hypernova, Leslie Ventures, Activate, Collab Fund, Safar Partners, and Cape Fear…
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Launch Preview: GPS, Progress, and Starlink missions to launch during busy week
Seven missions, four countries, and five launch vehicles make the week of April 20 one of the more diverse on the 2026 manifest. GPS III SV10 carries the week’s most technically significant payload in its first-ever GPS laser communications demonstration, while South Korea’s ADD vehicle attempts its first complete four-stage orbital flight. Rocket Lab pulls…
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ESA Seeks Proposals for Studies on European-Led Modular Space Station in Low Earth Orbit
The European Space Agency (ESA) has issued a call for tenders to conduct studies exploring the feasibility of a European-led, modular space station in low Earth orbit as the International Space Station approaches retirement. NASA announced in January 2022 that the ISS is expected to be decommissioned and deorbited in the first quarter of 2031…
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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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Crew-11 lands after medical situation forces early return
The Crew-11 mission has left the International Space Station and have arrived back on Earth. Crew Dragon Endeavour and its crew of four — comprised of two NASA astronauts, one Japanese astronaut, and one Russian cosmonaut — splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 12:40 AM PST (08:40 UTC) on Thursday, Jan. 15. Crew-11 launched to…
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H3 rocket suffers upper stage anomaly, fails to correctly deploy navigation satellite
An H3 rocket from Mitsubishi Heavy Technologies and JAXA lifts off with the QZS-5 navigation satellite. The rocket suffered a second stage anomaly that prevented a successful deployment at the correct altitude. Image: JAXA A flight of Japan’s H3 rocket ended in failure on Dec. 22 after the upper stage experienced an anomaly. In a…
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Launch Previews: Ariane 6, Falcon 9, Atlas V, and Electron launches highlight busy week
Global launch activity is set to surge over the next week, with 13 missions scheduled to launch from sites around the world. China’s Long March 12A is set to debut with stage recovery, South Korea’s first Hanbit-Nano commercial rocket is set to launch, and Europe’s Ariane 6 will launch a batch of Galileo satellites. SpaceX…
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Launch Roundup: Launch manifest to feature 10 launches during first week of December
The first week of December features 10 orbital launches from six different providers across four continents. SpaceX will launch five Starlink missions, deploying satellites to various orbital shells from California and Florida. Internationally, Arianespace launched South Korea’s KOMPSAT-7 Earth observation satellite on Vega C, Rocket Lab will fly JAXA’s RAISE-4 technology demonstrator on Electron, and…