Tag: JAXA
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ADRAS-J mission takes methodical first steps toward the commercial removal of space debris
The recent increase in launches to meet growing demands for communications and observation satellites is adding more and more spacecraft to orbit every year. This is especially true in the more congested low-Earth orbit (LEO). With a sharp focus on making space safe and sustainable for the current as well as future generations, organizations such…
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Japan’s new H3 rocket proved it works, but will it catch on anywhere else?
Japan’s new H3 rocket took off Friday on its second test flight; its success is an important milestone for the launch vehicle poised to power nearly all of the Japanese space program’s missions into orbit over the next decade. The 187-foot-tall (57-meter) H3 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan at…
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JAXA reaches orbit on the second launch of H3
Japan’s H3 rocket made a second attempt to reach orbit on Saturday, 11 months after it failed during its maiden flight. The rocket successfully sent a mass simulator and two small satellites to the same 669-kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit it targeted on the previous mission. Liftoff commenced at 00:22 UTC (9:22 AM local time) from Launch…
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IDEFIX Phobos rover sent to Japan ahead of mission to Mars
The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission is JAXA’s lead mission that plans to survey and explore Mars’ two moons, Phobos and Deimos. While the Japanese agency will build the main payload, the German Space Agency (DLR) and the National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) will contribute to the mission. “IDEFIX,” a small secondary payload, will…
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Launch Roundup: Falcon 9’s 300th Flight and SpaceX to launch lunar lander
On the week of the sixth anniversary of the first flight of Falcon Heavy, SpaceX launched four separate Falcon 9 missions. Meanwhile, Roscosmos resupplied the International Space Station (ISS) with Progress MS-26 launching on Soyuz. Early Thursday morning, Falcon 9 launched from SLC-40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) taking NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud,…
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A Japanese spacecraft faceplanted on the Moon and lived to tell the tale
Japan’s first lunar lander made an unsteady touchdown on the Moon last week, moments after one of its two main engines inexplicably lost power and apparently fell off the spacecraft, officials said Thursday. About the size of a small car, the Small Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) landed on Friday, making Japan the fifth country…
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A Japanese spacecraft faceplanted on the Moon and lived to tell the tale
Japan’s first lunar lander made an unsteady touchdown on the Moon last week, moments after one of its two main engines inexplicably lost power and apparently fell off the spacecraft, officials said Thursday. About the size of a small car, the Small Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) landed on Friday, making Japan the fifth country…
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Japan’s SLIM lands on the Moon upside down, overcomes power issues
Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) lunar lander appears to have achieved a soft touchdown on the Moon’s surface but is currently unable to generate electricity from onboard solar cells. To utilize the remaining battery life to maximum effect, controllers worked to prioritize the recording and downloading of data. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency…
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Japan’s SLIM lands on the Moon upside down, overcomes power issues
Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) lunar lander appears to have achieved a soft touchdown on the Moon’s surface but is currently unable to generate electricity from onboard solar cells. To utilize the remaining battery life to maximum effect, controllers worked to prioritize the recording and downloading of data. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency…
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Japan becomes the fifth nation to land a spacecraft on the Moon
The Japanese space agency’s first lunar lander arrived on the the Moon’s surface Friday, but a power system problem threatens to cut short its mission. Japan’s robotic Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission began a 20-minute final descent using two hydrazine-fueled engines to drop out of orbit. After holding to hover at 500 meters…