JAXA
OKEANOS – A Mission That Would Have Retrurned Samples From the Trojan Asteroids
Getting a mission to the point of officially being accepted for launch is an ordeal. However, even when they aren't…
Japan Launches the First Wooden Satellite to Space
Space debris, which consists of pieces of spent rocket stages, satellites, and other objects launched into orbit since 1957 -…
BepiColombo’s New Images of Mercury are Cool
The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo spacecraft made another flyby of its eventual target, Mercury. This is one of a series of Mercury…
JAXA Officially Wraps Up its SLIM Lander Mission
On January 20th, 2024, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) made history when its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM)…
Astroscale Closes Within 50 Meters of its Space Junk Target
Space debris is a major problem for space exploration. There are millions of pieces up there in orbit from flecks…
Japan’s Lunar Lander Fails to Check-in
On January 19th, 2024, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully landed its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) on…
How Mars’ Moon Phobos Captures Our Imaginations
For a small, lumpy chunk of rock that barely reflects any light, Mars' Moon Phobos draws a lot of attention.…
The BepiColombo Mission To Mercury is Losing Power
BepiColombo is a joint ESA/JAXA mission to Mercury. It was launched in 2018 on a complex trajectory to the Solar…
Japan’s Lunar Lander Survives its Third Lunar Night
Space travel and exploration was never going to be easy. Failures are sadly all too common but it's wonderful to…
The Solar Wind is Stripping Oxygen and Carbon Away From Venus
The BepiColombo mission, a joint effort between JAXA and the ESA, was only the second (and most advanced) mission to…