Tag: JAXA
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U.S. military rules out collision as cause of Hitomi satellite’s woes
The Hitomi satellite is seen Nov. 27 at a press day held before its launch. Credit: JAXA As Japanese ground controllers struggle to restore communications with a tumbling space telescope in orbit, the U.S. military’s space surveillance experts have eliminated one cause for the satellite’s troubles. A military spokesperson told Spaceflight Now in an email…
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Concerns grow for X-ray astronomy satellite ASTRO-H
Japan’s ASTRO-H X-ray astronomy satellite is in trouble, just weeks after launch. Following a loss of nominal communication, observers have noted the spacecraft is tumbling, while tracking information has cataloged pieces of debris in the area of the satellite. The spacecraft is a high-energy astronomy mission led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). ASTRO-H Failure:…
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Japan’s newest space telescope goes silent
Updated on March 28. Artist’s concept of the Hitomi observatory. Credit: JAXA/Akihiro Ikeshita Japan has lost contact with the newly-launched Hitomi space telescope, and ground observations indicate the satellite has shed debris and may be tumbling in orbit more than 350 miles above Earth. Ground controllers lost contact with the Hitomi black hole observatory at the…
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Photos: H-2A rocket soars on groundbreaking astronomy mission
Burning a mixture of super-cold liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and pre-packed solid propellant, Japan’s H-2A rocket vaulted into a deep blue evening sky over the beaches of Tanegashima Island on Wednesday with a satellite that will see the surroundings of black holes better than ever before. The 174-foot-tall (53-meter) rocket blasted off at 0845 GMT…
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Japanese H-IIA rocket launches ASTRO-H mission
Japan launched the ASTRO-H x-ray astronomy satellite via its H-IIA rocket Wednesday, with a launch from the country’s Tanegashima launch site occurring at 17:45 local time (08:45 UTC). ASTRO-H, which was previously known as the New X-ray Telescope (NeXT), is a high-energy astronomy mission led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). ASTRO-H Mission: JAXA’s…
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Black hole observatory launched from Japan
The H-2A rocket flies into the sunset sky over the Tanegashima Space Center at 0845 GMT (3:45 a.m. EST; 5:45 p.m. local time). Credit: JAXA Japan launched a pioneering observatory with X-ray vision Wednesday to peer into the mysterious, light-starved neighborhoods around black holes and study the genesis of galaxies and other cosmic mega-structures billions…
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Live coverage: H-2A rocket delivers on 30th flight
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of an H-2A rocket with the Astro-H X-ray astronomy mission. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
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Launch of Japanese X-ray observatory postponed
Ground crews prepare the Astro-H spacecraft for launch at the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. Credit: JAXA The Japanese space agency said Thursday the launch of an X-ray astrophysics observatory is postponed from Friday due to a poor weather forecast at the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. The Astro-H mission is awaiting launch aboard…
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Asteroid probe confirmed on good trajectory after Earth flyby
Artist’s concept of the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft near Earth. Credit: JAXA A Japanese space probe picked up just the right amount of speed when it flew by Earth earlier this month, using the planet’s gravity to slingshot toward an asteroid scientists think is a primordial leftover from the ancient solar system, mission managers said Monday.…
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Three space station fliers set for landing Friday
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, Russian Soyuz commander Oleg Kononenko and Japanese flight engineer Kimiya Yui are scheduled to return to Earth on Friday. Credit: NASA In a rapid-fire crew exchange, three space station fliers return to Earth Friday morning, landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan just four days…