Category Archives: Japan

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 23-26 August 2019

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Chandrayaan-2 In Lunar Orbit Prepares For Landing And Chandrayaan-3 Joint Lunar Mission

India Chandrayaan-2 Photographs Moon From 4,212 km x 118 km Orbital Ellipse, Will Perform Another Orbit Change 28 Aug; 1,470-kg Vikram Lander And 27-kg Pragyan Rover Scheduled To Land 7 Sep Near Manzinus C And Simpelius N Craters At 70° S Latitude; Project Director M Vanitha (L) And Mission Director Ritu Kridhal (R) Expect To Operate 14 Days On Surface; ISRO In Talks With JAXA Planning Chandrayaan-3 Joint Lunar Polar Exploration Mission In 2023

Credits: ISRO

Friday / 16 Aug 2019

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Japan Lunar Surface Society Plans Pressurized Rover And Future Lunar Activities

JAXA, Toyota And Mitsubishi Are Joining In A Lunar Surface Society In September To Study Sustainable Lunar Activities; Toyota Is Teamed With JAXA To Study Pressurized Lunar Rover For Crew Of 2-4; Fuel Cells Would Give 6-Wheeled Rover 10,000-km Range; JAXA, Led By Hiroshi Yamakawa, Hoping To Send Rover To Moon In 2029; Avatar X, A Partnership Between JAXA And All Nippon Airways, Building Futuristic Lunar Robotics Center On Island Of Kyushu

Credits: JAXA, Cloud Architects, Avatar X

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 Apr 2019

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Major Spacefaring Powers Joined By Other Nations Reaching For Moon

Canada Launches US$150M Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP) As USA Seeks Partners For Lunar Gateway; JAXA Investigates Using Robotics To Build Lunar Base; Germany PTScientists Rover May Launch In 2020; Russia Hopes To Develop Heavy Launcher For Moon Landings; Drop Test Delays India Chandrayaan-2 Until May; Zhongguo Chang’e-4 Operates During Its Fourth Lunar Day; Korea KSLV-II Booster Planned For 2021 Launch Of Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter; SpaceIL Beresheet In Orbit Photographs Hidden Side Of Moon

Credits: SpaceIL, ISRO, PTScientists, CNSA

Friday / 22 Mar 2019

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Multiple Moon March Activities Planned By Commercial Industry And Nations Including USA

Current Lunar Activities Include SpaceIL Beresheet On Course To Vicinity Of Moon By 4 April And Planned Landing 11 Apr; 6-Person International Crew Of SIRIUS-19 In Moscow Simulating 122-Day Lunar Mission; Astrobotic Uses LIDAR-Equipped Drone To Map Iceland Lava Tube In Preparation For Lunar Applications; Japan, Canada And Lockheed Martin Plan Modules For Moon Orbit; US National Space Council Meets 26 Mar As NASA Plans Lunar Rover In 2023; Administrator Jim Bridenstine Says Next Human Landings Will Include First Woman On The Moon

Credits: SpaceIL, NASA, Astrobotic, DLR

Friday / 1 Feb 2019

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Japan Looks To Lunar Landings, Sample Return, Gateway, International Collaborations

JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa Details Smart Lander For Investigating Moon Mission Launching 2021 To Achieve Precision Landing On Moon, Potential Life Support And / Or Rendezvous Tech Contributions To NASA For Lunar Human Gateway, Partnerships For Lunar Sample Return With Canada & Europe, And Lunar Landers With India; While Cooperation With China Has Yet To Happen, Yamakawa Notes That International Teamwork Is Essential For Space Development, And ISS Privatization Can Free Up Funding To Concentrate On Moon And Beyond Missions

Credits: JAXA, ISAS

Thursday / 13 Sep 2018

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NASA, JAXA Announce Cooperation On Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway

NASA And Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Sign Joint Statement Of Cooperation On Space Exploration Including Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway; Following Summit Meeting Nov 2017 Of US President And Japan Prime Minister; Building On History Of Cooperation Between NASA And JAXA On ISS And Other Programs; Intending To Extend Human Presence To Cislunar Space And Eventually To Solar System; Aiming For Future Missions To Mars

Credits: William Gerstenmaier NASA, Takashi Hamazaki JAXA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 7-10 Sep 2018

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JAXA, ANA Holdings AVATAR X Program Aims For Remote Robotic Lunar Base Construction

JAXA And ANA Holdings Partner On AVATAR X Program To Develop Robotic Avatars To Remotely Build Lunar Camps, Support Long-Term Missions & Deep Space Exploration; Aims For Remote Lunar & Mars Construction, Space Station Operation & Maintenance, Space Entertainment & Public Travel; Consortium Phase Begins In 2018, Opening Construction Designs To Interested Space Industry Companies; Phase Two 2019 Building Of “AVATAR X Lab@OITA” In Oita, Japan To House Infrastructure, Telecommunication Hardware, Testing Facilities; Early 2020s Phase Three To Test In LEO, Leading To Final Phase On Moon, Beyond

Credits: JAXA, ANA Holdings, Inc.

Wednesday / 23 May 2018

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Japan Boosting Lunar Exploration Through New Space Exploration Organization To Be Established This Summer

JAXA Astronaut Takuya Onishi (L) Says Japan Will Establish New Institution For Space Exploration This Summer As Directed By Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R), To Contribute To Lunar Exploration Logistics, Habitation, Lander & Rover, Including US$320M HTV-X Delivery Spacecraft For Supporting International Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway; JAXA Exploration Plan Based On Joint Lunar Studies With ISRO, NASA, & ESA

Credits: JAXA

Wednesday / 9 May 2018

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 Spacetide Conference In Tokyo Propels Private Space Industry

3rd Spacetide Foundation Conference On 10 May At Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall To Draw Over 500 Attendees; Focus On Space Tech Advancement, Growth Impact For Non-Space Industry, Commercial Support, Moon Exploration & Economy, Japan Space Vision 2030 Goals & Lunar Property Rights / Resource Ownership; 29 Panelists, 8 Venture Pitches, 3 Featured Presentations To Include (L-R) Spacetide Founder Masayasu Ishida, JAXA Astronaut Koichi Wakata, ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada, Space Frontier Foundation Chairman Jeff Feige 

Credits: Spacetide, ispace, JAXA, ISPCS, NASA

Wednesday / 4 Apr 2018

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Tokyo University Of Science Launches Space Settlement Research Center

First Female Astronaut Of Japan, Chiaki Mukai M.D., Leads New Center For Developing Technologies For Long-Duration Habitation In Space And On Moon — Currently Consists Of 27 Staff Members & Their Students, With 4 Divisions Including Quality Of Life Design Team Researching Systems For Safety, Comfort, & Medical Support On Lunar Surface; Another Team Studying Self-Sufficient Agriculture; 66-Year-Old Mukai Says Moon Base By 2030 Very Realistic & She Hopes To Go; Center Marks Rising Robustness Of Japan Interest In The Moon

Credits: TUS