JAXA
NASA’s accelerated moon plans create uncertainty for international partners
As NASA develops its plans to accelerate a human return to the surface of the moon, international partners are left wondering what roles, if any, they will have in that effort.
Budget proposal, ISS partners provide new momentum for lunar Gateway
NASA’s plans to develop a crewed facility in lunar orbit to support exploration of the moon got boosts both in the White House’s budget request for the agency as well as from the partners in the International Space Station.
Ariane 5 launches BepiColombo to Mercury
A Mercury-bound science mission from the European and Japanese space agencies began a seven-year journey to the Solar System’s smallest planet Oct. 19 aboard and Ariane 5 rocket.
Space agencies welcome new entrants developing satellites for tracking greenhouse gases
As a growing number of organizations propose satellites to monitor greenhouse gases, national space agencies who already operate such spacecraft welcome those new entrants — as long as they’re willing to share their results.
ISS partners show interest in station extension
NASA’s partners in the International Space Station are showing a growing interest in extending the station’s operations beyond 2024 regardless of NASA initiatives to end direct funding of the station around that time.
Koichi Wakata, JAXA vice president and astronaut, helps chart future of ISS and human space exploration
Koichi Wakata, the Japanese space agency’s vice president and director general for human spaceflight technology, is intimately familiar with the International Space Station. As an astronaut, he helped assemble the space station in 2000 and lived onboard for four months in 2009 and six months in 2013 and 2014.
Microgravity entrepreneurs eager to know what comes after ISS
Uncertainty over the timing of the orbiting outpost’s retirement and the eventual transition to one or more new platforms is making it challenging for companies to attract investors and plan for the future.
New fund to boost Japanese space startups
The Japanese government, working with private ventures, announced plans March 20 to establish a nearly billion-dollar fund to support the development of space startups in the country.
ISS partners seek clarity on station’s long-term future
The head of NASA’s human spaceflight program says he would like to see a decision made in the next two years on whether and how International Space Station operations will be extended beyond 2024.
ESA unveils BepiColombo Mercury orbiters ahead of October 2018 launch
After almost 20 years of development, the European Space Agency has finally unveiled the BepiColombo Mercury orbiters and confirmed the mission is on track for an October 2018 launch.
MHI says H3 rocket development on track for 2020
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the prime contractor for Japan’s next-generation launch vehicle, the H3, says it is on schedule for a first launch in 2020, and will soon learn if the cost-cutting efforts pursued over the past three years will meet the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s goal of halving launch prices compared to the H-2A.
NASA and JAXA to develop replacement X-ray astronomy telescope
NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA will start work this spring on an orbiting X-ray astronomy telescope to replace one lost shortly after launch last year.
Japan to decide on Hitomi replacement by year’s end
The Japanese parliament will decide by the end of the year whether to fund development of a replacement for the failed Hitomi astronomy satellite, the head of Japan’s space agency said Sept. 22.
NASA may build replacement instrument for Japanese astronomy mission
NASA is considering building a replacement for an instrument lost on a Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite earlier this year that could fly on another Japanese spacecraft.
NASA and JAXA begin discussions on aftermath of Hitomi failure
NASA and JAXA have started discussions about how to recover the science lost with the failure of Japan’s Hitomi astronomy spacecraft in March, although there appear be limited opportunities by either agency to fly a replacement mission for the foreseeable future.
JAXA abandons efforts to recover Hitomi satellite
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced April 28 that it was giving up on efforts to restore control of its Hitomi astronomy satellite, concluding that the spacecraft was too severely damaged in an incident last month.
