Japan
MHI pressing through pandemic toward late 2020 H3 rocket debut
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries still expects to conduct the maiden flight of Japan’s H3 rocket this year, notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic.
Mitsubishi Electric, eyeing constellation market, to build demo smallsat for JAXA
Mitsubishi Electric said Dec. 22 that it will build the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-2 as prime contractor for JAXA. The satellite is scheduled to launch on a Japanese Epsilon rocket by the end of March 2022.
Op-ed | Global government space budgets continues multiyear rebound
An expanding U.S. civil space budget is a main force behind recent growth in government space spending, but new civil space expenditures in Asia, the Middle East and Africa also contributed.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries mulls upgraded H3 rocket variants for lunar missions
As Japan prepares to join NASA’s Artemis lunar program, the country’s largest rocket manufacturer says it could upgrade the H3 rocket debuting next year to deliver cargo to the moon as soon as 2025.
Japan to join Artemis program
The Japanese government plans to join NASA in its Artemis program of lunar exploration, although the details about how it will contribute remain to be worked out.
Sky Perfect JSAT, challenged by TV business, hedges bets on HAPS, 5G, HTS and smallsats
JSAT has lost more than half a million satellite television subscribers since 2013, when that business reached 3.83 million subscribers — the highest level in JSAT’s history.
Japanese SAR startup Synspective reaches $100 million in funding
Tokyo-based remote sensing company Synspective said July 26 that it had successfully reached $100 million in funding since forming 17 months ago.
Axelspace raises $22.8 million for remote-sensing constellation
In an interview, Axelspace Chief Business Development Officer Yasunori Yamazaki, said the funding will enable the company of 65 people to continue building a constellation called AxelGlobe, though the company hasn’t decided on a final size for the constellation.
Inmarsat books Japanese H3 rocket’s first commercial launch
British satellite operator Inmarsat announced Dec. 5 it will be the first commercial customer of the next-generation H3 rocket from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan.
Japan’s Interstellar Technologies goes full throttle toward small orbital rocket
Interstellar Technologies is developing the main engine for an orbital rocket designed to carry 100 kilograms and slated for a 2020 test flight.
Japanese smallsat rocket explodes on second launch attempt
Japanese startup Interstellar Technologies’ Momo-2 rocket crashed back to Earth seconds after liftoff, destroying the vehicle and damaging launch pad infrastructure.
International SSA agreements could pave the way for further space cooperation, panelists said
U.S. Strategic Command's bilateral agreements to share Space Situational Awareness data with other nations could lead to further space cooperation, according to panelists at the 34th Space Symposium.
Ariane 5 lofts two long-awaited telecom satellites
Arianespace on April 5 launched two satellites for telecom operators that for separate reasons were both more than a year behind their original launch schedules.
Japan to modernize spaceport launch pads to support H3 rocket
Seeking to double the number of launches it can conduct annually, Japan will add a second launch pad to the Tanegashima spaceport to support its next-generation H3 rocket.
SN Military.Space | Government shutdown watch – Senate to hear from key DoD nominees – New SBIRS satellite set for liftoff
With no budget deal in sight to avert a Friday government shutdown, a visibly frustrated Mac Thornberry, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee — and a vocal champion of bigger military budgets — called out his congressional colleagues for putting political agendas ahead of national security
Japan mulls seven-satellite QZSS system as a GPS backup
The Japanese government is considering adding an additional three satellites to the country’s domestic navigation system in order to ensure that it would work with or without the U.S.’s GPS system.
