Tag: JAXA
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Expedition 66 concludes 2021 with busy December aboard ISS
While many cultures celebrated their respective holiday traditions on Earth, the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) carried on with their busy schedules high above. December 2021 saw three major visiting vehicle movements, one spacewalk, and many of the research and maintenance tasks that allow the ISS to function as one of the world’s…
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Soyuz MS-20 space tourism flight docks with ISS
Roscosmos and Space Adventures has launched and docked the Soyuz MS-20 space tourism mission to the International Space Station for a 12-day stay. The crew of three—including two Japanese space tourists—are flying onboard the Soyuz spacecraft, with liftoff at 7:38 UTC (2:38 a.m. EST) Wednesday, December 8, 2021, from Site 31/6 at Baikonur Cosmodrome in…
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Japan’s Epsilon launches RAISE-2 and eight secondary satellites
Japan has finally launched its small satellite launcher Epsilon to deliver nine satellites to orbit. Notably, this includes the RAISE-2 technology demonstrator. Previously delayed due to weather and a scrub, the launch from Uchinoura Space Center occurred at 00:55 UTC on Nov. 9. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA’s) RAISE-2 was the primary payload aboard…
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SpaceX given green light to launch Crew-3 mission to ISS, Crew-2’s return date set
Having completed the Flight Readiness Review for the United States Crew Vehicle 3 (USCV-3) mission, NASA, ESA, JAXA, and SpaceX teams have given the green light for Crew-3 to launch on October 31 at 02:21 EDT (06:21 UTC) and for Crew-2 to return to Earth no earlier than November 4. Crew-3 will mark SpaceX’s fifth…
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Japan launches H-IIA with QZS-1R satellite
Japan’s H-IIA rocket launched on October 26 at 02:19 UTC from LA-Y1 at the Tanegashima Space Center, carrying the QZS-1R satellite. This was 44th launch of the H-IIA rocket for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). For the mission, the H-IIA launched in the 202 configuration. QZS-1R The QZS-1R satellite will…
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BepiColombo completes first Mercury flyby, science provides insight into planet’s unique environment
On October 1, 2021, the joint European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) BepiColombo spacecraft successfully performed its first flyby of the solar system’s innermost planet, Mercury. The flyby is the first in a set of six such events BepiColombo will complete before entering orbit around Mercury in late 2025. Following the…
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Astronauts finish spacewalk to prepare ISS for new solar arrays
Two astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have completed a 6 hour 54 minute spacewalk to continue the process of outfitting the orbiting laboratory with new sets of solar arrays. US EVA-77 — the first US spacewalk to not involve an American — saw Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut and current ISS Commander…
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Japan’s H3 rocket awaiting final engine certification for first flight
Japan’s third-generation liquid hydrogen-powered rocket, H3, is nearing closer to its first launch. The H3 rocket is co-developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), succeeding the H-II family, which provided satellite launches and International Space Station cargo resupply missions for two decades. The H3 rocket is the third in…
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Off the Earth, for the Earth; Endeavour lifts off with international crew for six month mission
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endeavour began its second mission Friday with a crew of four astronauts on a long-duration trip to the International Space Station. Liftoff, atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, occurred right on time at 05:49:02 EDT / 09:49:02 UTC on Friday, 23 April 2021. The Crew-2 mission will see…
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SpaceX, Crew-2 mission cleared for launch as eyes turn to the weather
The Crew-2 mission’s Launch Readiness Review, or LRR, has been completed at the Kennedy Space Center, with managers from NASA, SpaceX, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) formally clearing the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon Endeavour for launch of four international astronauts to the Space Station…