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Japan's SLIM lunar probe returns to life more than a week after landing upside down
Japan's lunar lander has regained power a full nine days after it landed on the moon's surface nearly upside down and was subsequently switched off.
Japan’s SLIM lunar spacecraft landed upside down on the moon
Japan's SLIM spacecraft landed on the moon upside down.
Japan’s SLIM lunar lander made it to the moon, but it’ll likely die within hours
JAXA, the Japanese space agency, confirmed that its SLIM lunar lander successfully made a soft landing on the moon. But, its solar cell isn't working as planned and it isn't generating electricity. JAXA says it only has enough battery for a few more hours.
Japan launched an X-ray telescope more advanced than its peers
Japan's space agency has launched a rocket on September 6 at 7:42 PM EDT carrying a telescope that's more advanced than NASA's Chandra and other X-ray observatories already in orbit.
Japan will try to beam solar power from space by 2025
A Japanese public-private partnership will attempt to put orbital solar arrays in space later this decade.
Japan's H3 rocket self-destructs in space during failed launch
JAXA was forced to activate H3's flight termination system a few minutes after it launched.
First full asteroid return sample confirms early Solar System origins
Scientists have studied their first full asteroid return sample, and it confirms Ryugu is made of extremely primitive Solar System material.
Nissan uses AWD tech to keep JAXA's lunar lander from getting stuck
The automaker employed a version of its e-4orce powertrain system.
Honda announces plans to build electric VTOLs and telepresence robots
Honda announced Thursday that it is working to develop, remote telepresence robots, electric VTOLs for short-hop commutes, and a fuel-cell driven power generation system for the lunar surface.
Japan will send a transforming robot ball to the Moon
Japan plans to explore the Moon with a transforming ball robot made with the help of Sony and Tomy.
NASA, ESA and JAXA want to figure out COVID-19's environmental effects
NASA, the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are hosting a hackathon to figure out COVID-19's environmental effect.
SpaceX's reused Crew Dragon capsule docks with the ISS
Crew Dragon has docked with the International Space Station as part of the Crew-2 mission, marking the first time SpaceX has reused a crewed capsule.
JAXA shows the sub-surface samples it collected from asteroid Ryugu
Shortly after Japan's Hayabusa2 probe returned to Earth, JAXA showed off some of the samples it collected from asteroid Ryugu. Now, JAXA has released photos showing the contents of the capsule’s “C” chamber, which it opened on December 21st. In JAXA’s tweet, it said the agency opened both chambers “B” and “C.” The “B” chamber is empty since it wasn’t used for collection, but the “C” chamber was used to collect samples during Hayabusa2’s second touchdown in July 2019.
Japan's space agency shows off samples collected from asteroid Ryugu
Japan’s space agency JAXA has opened the space probe Hayabusa2’s recently-returned sample capsule and found that the mission did succeed in collecting material from the asteroid Ryugu.
Japan's Hayabusa2 probe returns its asteroid sample to Earth
A capsule returning an asteroid sample from Hayabusa2 has successfully reached Earth.
Japan will send an 8K camera to Mars and its moons
Japan's JAXA and NHK are sending an 8K camera to Mars and its moons to capture images in unprecedented detail.
Two more astronauts join SpaceX's first crewed mission to the ISS
Two more astronauts have been assigned to the first operational crewed flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA astronaut Shannon Walker and Noguchi Soichi, of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), will join NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover Jr., who were assigned to the mission in 2018. If all goes according to plan, this will be the first in a series of regular Crew Dragon flights to the ISS, NASA said in a press release.
Japan will help NASA build a space station near the Moon
Back in September, NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) revealed their intention to work together under the Artemis program. Now, it's official -- Japan will join NASA's quest to go to Mars and to return to the Moon. The Japanese government has accepted the country's space policy committee's recommendation to help with NASA's Lunar Gateway project during a meeting attended by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and cabinet members.
Toyota will spend 10 years perfecting its astronaut moon rover
Japan has an ambitious plan to send men to the moon by 2030 as part of a multinational mission and is determined they'll have a ride when they get there. Japan's space agency JAXA and partner Toyota have revealed that the pressurized, manned lunar rover -- announced earlier this year -- should be ready to launch by 2029.
Japan's Hayabusa2 probe successfully landed on an asteroid, again (updated)
Back in February, Japan's second asteroid-exploring spacecraft touched down on the asteroid Ryugu to collect samples that it will bring back to Earth. Tonight, Hayabusa2 is making its final sample collection attempt, where it will try to collect material that was exposed by a crater it created with explosives back in April. It will once again try to quickly land, fire a tantalum bullet into the asteroid's surface and grab some of the dust that gets kicked up -- all in about one second. Assuming all goes well, the plan is to eventually deploy the Minerva II2 rover, and then begin its year-long journey back to Earth around November or December.
