[ad_1] The MMX spacecraft is expected to launch in Japan’s fiscal 2024 and reach Mars by fiscal 2025. It’ll be longer still before the return capsule arrives. It could be worth the wait. MMX should not only provide highly detailed photography of Mars from above the surface, but land on Phobos and collect surface material. […]
Category: jaxa
Japan will help NASA build a space station near the Moon
[ad_1] According to The Japan Times, the Asian country will “offer technical cooperation for the construction” of the Lunar Gateway, which will serve as temporary home and office for astronauts in lunar orbit. In particular, Japan will provide life-support system devices, air-conditioning equipment and batteries, among other things. However, the publication says the committee withheld […]
Toyota will spend 10 years perfecting its astronaut moon rover
[ad_1] The six-wheeled vehicle will carry two people up to 6,200 miles using solar power and fuel cell technology. At 20 feet long, 17 feet wide and 12 feet tall, it’ll have 140 square feet of habitable space. Thanks to the pressurization, astronauts won’t need spacesuits while inside. The timeline is pretty busy, and considering […]
Japan’s Hayabusa2 probe attempts its final asteroid landing at 9:15 PM ET
[ad_1] 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 […]
Japan will send a rover to Martian moons with help from Germany and France
[ad_1] DLR and France’s National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) will help JAXA build and study a rover meant to explore one of the moons. That rover will fly strapped to the MMX spacecraft, which will orbit both Phobos and Deimos. According to New Scientist, if all goes according to plan, the rover will become […]
Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft bombs Ryugu asteroid
[ad_1] [SCI] April 5 at 11:56 JST. The SCI operation time has passed and we have confirmed there is no problem with the spacecraft during the evacuation operation. — HAYABUSA2@JAXA (@haya2e_jaxa) April 5, 2019 To avoid getting hit by flying debris, Hayabusa2 maneuvered itself away from the impact zone, according to the BBC. Japan’s Jaxa […]
Japan’s moon rover will be made by Toyota
[ad_1] Toyota is going to the moon. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has teamed up with the carmaker to build a pressurized self-driving rover that will land on the lunar surface in 2029. The six-wheeled transporter will be able to carry two humans for a distance of 10,000 kilometers using solar power and Toyota‘s […]
Watch the Hayabusa2 probe touch down on asteroid Ryugu
[ad_1] Hayabusa2 has been orbiting Ryugu since mid-2018 to find the perfect spot for its touchdown. It took over a day for the probe to descend from its orbit, but the contact itself lasted only for a second. The video below shows the event at five times its actual speed: JAXA plans to use the […]