Japan’s space agency says it hopes to forge a profitable launch business with its new H3 rocket

TOBISHIMA, Japan — Japan’s space agency and its prime contractor said Thursday they hope to be able to forge a profitable launch business with their new H3 rocket after its first successful flight last month in an increasingly competitive market dominated by Space X. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have been developing … Read more

Singapore Airshow features aerial displays and the international debut of China’s C919

SINGAPORE — The Singapore Airshow – Asia’s largest – kicked off Tuesday with an array of aerial displays including some by China’s COMAC C919 narrow-body airliner. It’s the first time Singapore has opened the event to the public since 2020, when a scaled-down version went ahead as the COVID-19 pandemic was just starting. The biennial … Read more

Japan’s new flagship H3 rocket reaches planned trajectory in key test after failed debut last year

TOKYO — A Japanese flagship H3 rocket lifted off from a space station in southwestern Japan Saturday, successfully reaching its planned trajectory and releasing one of the two payloads in a key second test, overcoming its failed debut launch a year ago and buoying hope for the country to stay competitive in the global space … Read more

Are we about to find out the moon’s origin? Japan’s space agency says it may now have clues

TOKYO — TOKYO (AP) — An unmanned lunar spacecraft has captured and transmitted data analyzing 10 lunar rocks, a greater-than-expected achievement that could help provide clues about the origin of the moon, a Japan space agency official said Wednesday. For four days, the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM — which landed on the … Read more

Poland’s president meets Lockheed Martin CEO about further investment in military weapons

WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s president has met the CEO of U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin about strengthening security in the region and continued U.S. investment in Poland’s military weapons and equipment, the country’s National Security Bureau said Wednesday. The bureau in a post on X, formerly Twitter, said the talks between President Andrzej Duda and Jim … Read more

A Russian cosmonaut sets a new record for the most time in space

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has broken the world record for the most cumulative time spent in space, Russia’s space agency Roscosmos reported Sunday. The 59-year-old has now spent more than 878 days and 12 hours in space, surpassing fellow Russian Gennady Padalka, who set the previous record of 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes, and … Read more

Iran launches 3 satellites into space that are part of a Western-criticized program

JERUSALEM — Iran said Sunday it successfully launched three satellites into space with a rocket that had multiple failures in the past, the latest for a program that the West says improves Tehran’s ballistic missiles. The launch comes as heightened tensions grip the wider Middle East over Israel’s continued war on Hamas in the Gaza … Read more

Why there is a new global race to the moon

Japan recently became the fifth nation to successfully complete a soft landing on the moon’s surface, joining a select few countries — the U.S., Russia, China and India — in accomplishing this feat. But moon landings are likely to become more common over the next few years. Globally, more than 100 lunar missions, both by … Read more

Iran launches satellite that is part of a Western-criticized program as regional tensions spike

JERUSALEM — Iran said Saturday it had conducted a successful satellite launch into its highest orbit yet, the latest for a program the West fears improves Tehran’s ballistic missiles. The announcement comes as heightened tensions grip the wider Middle East over Israel’s continued war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and just days after Iran … Read more

Japan space agency says its lunar spacecraft is on the moon but is still ‘checking its status’

TOKYO — Japan’s space agency said early Saturday that its unmanned spacecraft is on the moon, but is still “checking its status.” More details will be given at a news conference, officials said. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, came down onto the lunar surface at around 12:20 a.m. Tokyo time (1520 GMT). … Read more