NEWSWORTHY
Fingers crossed, Japan's Hayabusa2 probe to finally land on rugged Ryugu asteroid on Feb. 22
A Japanese probe sent to examine an asteroid in order to shed light on the origins of the solar system is expected to land on the rock later this month, officials said Wednesday. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the Hayabusa2 probe is expected to ...
Japan successfully launched on Friday morning a low-cost Epsilon rocket carrying seven satellites built by 10 organizations, including a space venture aiming to create artificial shooting stars. The launch by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) of the Epsilon-4 rocket, from Uchinoura Space Center in ...
JAXA says landing-site selection for Hayabusa2's touchdown on Ryugu asteroid is in the final stage
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is searching for a suitable site on the Ryugu asteroid that it can safely land its Hayabusa2 spacecraft as early as late this month. The space agency had to abandon its first touchdown attempt that had been scheduled for ...
Former astronaut Naoko Yamazaki hopeful for commercial space travel
The year 2019 marks 50 years since the first humans landed on the moon in 1969 as part of NASA’s Apollo 11 lunar mission. In an interview with Managing Editor Sayuri Daimon, former Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki shares her experience in space in 2010 ...
Japan is launching multiple missions to explore the mysteries of the solar system in the coming years, joining hands with the European Union and countries such as India to compete with space superpowers such as the United States and Russia. The ultimate goal of space ...
JAXA satellite images show collapse of Indonesian island volcano linked to killer tsunami
Radar data from satellites, converted into images, show Indonesia's Anak Krakatau island volcano is dramatically smaller following a weekend eruption that triggered a deadly tsunami. Satellite photos aren't available because of cloud cover but radar images from a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency satellite taken before ...
2018 in science in Japan: Climate change, space exploration and water bears
In casting an eye back over memorable science and environment stories from Japan in 2018, it is impossible to ignore the extreme weather that hit the country. In late June to July, unusually heavy rainfall caused extensive flooding in southwest parts of the country. Some ...
Japan plans to install radar system in Yamaguchi Prefecture to monitor foreign 'killer' satellites
A new space radar system that Japan aims to put into operation in Yamaguchi Prefecture in fiscal 2023 will be designed to monitor not just space debris but also foreign "killer" satellites, government sources have said. The move comes at a time when Russia and ...
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. has won an order from major British satellite communications service operator Inmarsat for a new H-3 launch vehicle, the first such order from the private sector, according to the Japanese company. The value of the order was not disclosed. A commercial satellite ...
NASA deep space probe reaches asteroid deemed potential Earth threat
NASA's deep space explorer Osiris-Rex flew on Monday to within a 19 km of its destination, a skyscraper-size asteroid believed to hold organic compounds fundamental to life as well as the potential to collide with Earth in about 150 years. Launched in September 2016, Osiris-Rex ...
Capsule carrying ISS samples recovered after splashdown into ocean near remote island
A capsule ejected from a space cargo vessel returned to Earth on Sunday, bringing back experiment samples from the International Space Station (ISS) in the first such mission for Japan. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the capsule, measuring 84 centimeters wide and 66 ...
Unmanned Japanese cargo vessel Kounotori heads home from ISS carrying experiment samples
The successful re-entry and collection of samples are expected to contribute to Japan’s efforts toward the development of manned space missions in the future.
