The 1998 KY26 asteroid, the destination of Japan's Hayabusa2 unmanned probe in its ongoing space mission, may be far smaller than researchers had estimated. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/15/japan/hayabusa2-target-small/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #hayabusa2 #jaxa #space #asteroids
https://www.alojapan.com/1230333/japan-pavilion-to-exhibit-mars-meteorite-at-osaka-expo/ Japan pavilion to exhibit Mars meteorite at Osaka Expo #2025OsakaExpo #JAXA #Mars #METEORITES #Osaka #OsakaTopics #space #大阪 #大阪府 The government plans to exhibit one of the world’s biggest meteorites from Mars at its pavilion at this year’s World Exposition in the city of Osaka, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. The meteorite, collected by a Japanese Antarctic research expedition in 2000, will be shown to the public for the firs…
India is preparing to spotlight its artistic heritage and cutting-edge technology at the World Expo in Osaka. But as the countdown ticks, some Indian officials say Japan isn’t doing enough to drum up excitement. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/21/japan/osaka-expo-india/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #2025osakaexpo #india #space #jaxa #tech #tourism
Takuya Onishi, 49, and three other astronauts arrived at the International Space Station on a Crew Dragon spacecraft Sunday, marking the start of their long-term stay. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/16/japan/japanese-astronaut-onishi-iss-arrival/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #takuyaonishi #iss #spacex #nasa #jaxa
#SpaceMission #NASA #JAXA #Roscosmos #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Crew10
A few hours ago, SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft blasted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in its Crew-10 or SpaceX Crew-10 mission. After almost exactly ten minutes, it successfully separated from the rocket's last stage and went en route to carry out its mission.
NASA and Space X successfully launched a rocket carrying a multinational crew, including Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, following a postponement earlier in the week. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/15/world/science-health/iss-launch/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #sciencehealth #space #spacex #nasa #jaxa #iss
If anyone is thinking of applying for a grain from asteroids Ryugu or Bennu from #JAXA for WILD BABY SPACE ROCK SCIENCE 
, then the deadline to notify of intent (not the full proposal) is TOMORROW (02/26 23:59 UTC)!
The website has instructions and links to the sample databases to ogle grains from both asteroids 
#JAXA ISAS publishes a really nice newsletter each month, with updates on current and planned missions, future ideas, and interviews. It's only in Japanese, so I asked if we could publish little English summaries. Here's our first month!
(Full newsletter: https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/outreach/isas_news/2025/)
Interest in UFOs is increasing in Japan, a trend that an expert says could be a sign of social anxiety amid geopolitical tensions and conflicts across the globe. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/02/04/japan/society/ufo-fans-japan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #ishikawa #fukushima #ufo #jaxa
JAXA on Sunday successfully launched the fifth H-3 rocket carrying the Michibiki No. 6 satellite for the Japanese version of the U.S. Global Positioning System. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/02/02/japan/science-health/jaxa-michibiki-satellite-successfully-launched/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #japanaerospaceexplorationagency #jaxa #h3rocket #michibiki #mitsubishiheavy
Also thanks to the tip from @elizabethtasker , the kiddo and I managed to catch the sample return exhibit in the National Museum of Science and Nature in Tokyo, on the last day of its run. Amazing to see the fruits from all three asteroid sample return missions in one place!
The government plans to exhibit one of the world's biggest meteorites from Mars at its pavilion at this year's World Exposition in the city of Osaka, sources have said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/01/10/japan/osaka-expo-mars-meteorite/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #2025osakaexpo #space #jaxa
Toyota is investing in a Japanese startup that aims to mass produce lightweight rockets and someday vie with big players for a slice of the growing commercial space industry. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/01/07/companies/toyota-japan-rocket-startup-investment/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #toyota #rockets #space #interstellartechnologies #akiotoyoda #spacex #jaxa
Almost a year ago (Jan 20, 2024) one little #JAXA lunar lander made a successful soft Moon landing... on its nose... 
.
And then promptly refused to stop analysing rocks through 3 lunar night that should have frozen its metal behind solid.
Operations for. the SLIM mission are now over, and the team held a press briefing summarising the mission. The translated materials are here:
https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/en/topics/files/SLIM-press-briefing-20241226.pdf
@NightHawk11991 Now it looks like this!
They're not admitting it in English, but the National Museum of Science and Nature in Tokyo is holding an exhibit from December 17 ~ January 13 of grains from ALL THREE OF HUMANITY'S ASTEROID SAMPLE RETURN MISSIONS: Itokawa (#JAXA Hayabusa mission), Ryugu (JAXA Hayabusa2 mission) & Bennu (#NASA OSIRIS-REx mission).
If you're in Japan over the holiday season, do check this out:
https://www.kahaku.go.jp/event/2024/12hayabusaMMX/
It's unlikely that the first Epsilon S rocket will be able to launch by March next year as planned, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said Thursday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/12/06/japan/epsilon-rocket-launch/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #jaxa #space #rockets #epsilon
