Tag: JAXA
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Akatsuki probe relays its first images from Venus orbit
The Akatsuki spacecraft’s ultraviolet camera took this image of Venus at 0519 GMT (12:19 a.m. EST) on Dec. 7 from a distance of 73,000 kilometers (45,000 miles). Credit: JAXA Japanese scientists released Wednesday the first views of Venus captured by the Akatsuki spacecraft after arriving in orbit this week, setting the stage for regular observations…
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Japanese probe fires rockets to steer into orbit at Venus
Updated at 0315 GMT (10:15 p.m. EST) Artist’s concept of the Akatsuki spacecraft. Five years after missing a shot to enter orbit at Venus, Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft completed a critical rocket burn late Sunday in a bid to salvage the research mission and become the only space probe operating around Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor. Four…
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Japanese H-IIA successfully lofts Telstar 12V
Japan has conducted its first dedicated commercial satellite launch Tuesday, with an H-IIA rocket carrying a Canadian communications spacecraft, Telstar 12V, into orbit. The launch departed Japan’s Tanegashima Space Centre within a 104-minute launch window, with a T-0 of 15:50 local time (06:50 UTC) following a delay caused by a boat entering the range. H-IIA…
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Tiny thrusters to do heavy lifting as Japanese probe approaches Venus
Artist’s concept of Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft at Venus. Credit: JAXA/Akihiro Ikeshita Inside a month until its next chance to swing into orbit around Venus, Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft has weathered unexpectedly “severe” conditions after missing an arrival opportunity in 2010, according to the mission’s project scientist. The space probe accomplished its last targeting maneuver Oct. 11…
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Target of Japanese space mission named for dragon’s palace
Artist’s concept of the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft at asteroid Ryugu. Credit: JAXA/Akihiro Ikeshita The Japanese space agency has selected Ryugu as the name of an asteroid pursued by the country’s Hayabusa 2 space probe, naming the object after a dragon’s palace in an ancient Japanese fairy tale, officials said Monday. A selection committee picked the…
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HTV supply ship sets course for re-entry
The HTV-5 supply ship flies away from the space station after release from the robotic arm Monday. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now Heading for a destructive re-entry over the South Pacific with several tons of trash, Japan’s fifth HTV cargo craft departed the International Space Station on Monday after overcoming a last-minute snag in the lab’s…
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Japanese X-ray observatory completes decade-long mission
Artist’s concept of the Suzaku satellite. Credit: NASA/JAXA An orbiting astronomical observatory launched 10 years ago to probe violent stellar explosions and black holes has been deactivated after it stopped regularly communicating with the ground, the Japanese space agency said Thursday. The Suzaku satellite spent a decade watching some of the most energetic parts of…
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Photos: HTV supply ship glistens on approach to ISS
Photos captured by astronauts on the International Space Station show a Japanese cargo freighter, covered with reflective solar panels and golden insulation, on final approach to the 250-mile-high outpost. The fifth HTV supply ship delivered more than 9,500 pounds of cargo to the space station Monday after a five-day trip from a Japanese launch pad,…
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Japanese HTV supply carrier reaches space station
Japan’s fifth HTV cargo freighter is seen in the grasp of the space station’s robotic arm Monday. Credit: NASA/JAXA/Kimiya Yui Japan’s fifth HTV cargo freighter completed a five-day flight to the International Space Station on Monday, making a glacial laser-guided approach to the complex with a 9,500-pound package of food, spare parts and experiments. The…
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Live coverage: Japanese cargo craft arrives at space station
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of an H-2B rocket and Japan’s fifth H-2 Transfer Vehicle on a resupply flight to the International Space Station. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.