Ispace says it is targeting another attempt to touch down a lunar lander on the Moon’s surface around four to five months after launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9.
"When you’re using taxpayer direct dollars to fund something, you don't want to fail," SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell says. "I think that's a huge mistake."
NASA has outlined objectives in its "Low Earth Orbit Microgravity Strategy," committing to keeping LEO as habitable as ever to advance research and tech development.
European officials plan to move quickly to put on contract risk reduction efforts for the IRIS² satellite communications program to mature critical tech.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander is due to launch mid-January onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and attempt a soft landing on the Moon about 60 days later.
In a 2024 update to its evolving Moon-to-Mars Architecture Definition Document, NASA lists five new high-priority technology gaps, including lunar-dust-mitigation systems.
The EU and ESA signed a concession contract with a European industry consortium to deploy a roughly 292-satellite secure, sovereign communications system.
SpaceX is seeking a special election in Texas to incorporate the private Starbase community that serves as a manufacturing complex, test facility and spaceport.
NASA’s Lucy mission spacecraft sped close by the Earth for a second gravity assist to place the probe on a course for the first flybys of five Trojan asteroids.
The event took place on the sidelines of the 2024 edition of The Abu Dhabi Space Debate. The joint workshop is a collaborative event aimed at bringing together experts, industry leaders, and government officials from the UAE and Japan to strengthen cooperation in the field of space exploration. The workshop was attended by leading government officials and figures including H.E Shihab Al Faheem, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the UAE to Japan, and H.E Ken Okaniwa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the UAE, who both delivered opening remarks highlighting the importance of collaboration to advance the space sector, and a speech by H.E. Omar Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology about the UAE value proposition. Followed by a series of presentations highlighting the space sector from both countries, and the Emirati-Japanese partnership in space sector, presented by H.E. Salem Al Qubaisi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency, H.E. Salem Al Marri, Director General of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, Mr. Hideyuki Urata, Deputy Director-General, Manufacturing Industries Bureau at Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, Dr. Hiroshi YAMAKAWA, President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Aimed at deepening the UAE’s strategic relations with Japan in the space sector, the workshop is a step towards strengthening bilateral relations and promoting shared goals in the global space industry, while exploring opportunities for partnerships and innovation. H.E Salem Al Qubaisi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency said: “The collaboration between the UAE and Japan reflects a shared commitment to advancing global space exploration and innovation. Our continued collaboration aligns with the UAE’s National Space Strategy 2030 and together, we are driving meaningful progress, fostering sustainability, and paving the way for a brighter future in the space sector.” Participants engaged in group discussions to foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders in the space sector between the two countries. The group discussions provided a platform for attendees to share their organisation's mission, expertise, and recent achievements in the space sector. These sessions included space accessibility space exploration, earth observation, navigation, and telecommunication.
Astroscale’s Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan approached to within 15 m of an orbiting derelict Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-IIA upper-stage body.
