JAXA – Page 17 – Spaceflight Now

Japan’s sixth HTV cargo mission slated for Sept. 30 launch

July 27, 2016 Stephen Clark

Japan’s space agency has set Sept. 30 as the target launch date for the country’s sixth resupply mission to the International Space Station, carrying cargo, experiments and six lithium-ion batteries to kick off a major upgrade of the lab’s electrical system.

Japan’s Hitomi observatory made cosmic discovery before failing

July 7, 2016 Stephen Clark

Japan’s doomed Hitomi observatory peeled back a veil on the inner workings of the Perseus cluster of galaxies before the satellite spun out of control earlier this year, revealing in unprecedented detail how gas heated to millions of degrees behaves around an unseen supermassive black hole, scientists said Wednesday.

Photos: Crew of three rides Soyuz into orbit

July 7, 2016 Stephen Clark

A veteran Russian cosmonaut and two spaceflight rookies rocketed into orbit from a Kazakh launch base Wednesday on the first flight of a new-generation Soyuz capsule, kicking off a two-day pursuit of the International Space Station.

Upgraded Soyuz crew ferry ships streaks into space

July 7, 2016 William Harwood

An upgraded Soyuz spacecraft, featuring improved navigation, communications and rendezvous systems, blasted into orbit from Kazakhstan Wednesday and set off on a two-day maiden flight to deliver three fresh crew members to the International Space Station.

Soyuz MS-01 launch-to-docking timeline

July 6, 2016 William Harwood

Track the progress of the Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft and its three-person crew through Wednesday’s countdown and launch, followed two days later by docking with the International Space Station on Friday.

Live coverage: New crew arrives at International Space Station

July 6, 2016 Stephen Clark

Two days after blasting off from Kazakhstan, three new crew members docked with the International Space Station early Saturday to begin nearly four months of scientific experiments and maintenance on the orbiting research outpost. The Soyuz spacecraft linked up with the space station’s Rassvet module at 12:06 a.m. EDT (0406 GMT).

Photos: Soyuz rocket goes vertical for launch of next station crew

July 5, 2016 Stephen Clark

A Soyuz rocket is standing on the launch pad in Kazakhstan used on Yuri Gagarin’s historic first human spaceflight in 1961, ready to send three people toward the International Space Station.

Upgraded Soyuz prepped to carry three to space station

July 5, 2016 William Harwood

A veteran cosmonaut, a former Japanese 767 airline pilot and a NASA astronaut with a Ph.D. in cancer biology are making final preparations for launch July 6 on a two-day flight to the International Space Station. It will be the first flight in an upgraded Soyuz ferry craft with improved, more redundant navigation, communications and computer equipment.

Video: Next space station trio finishing training at Star City

May 28, 2016 Justin Ray

Soyuz commander Anatoly Ivanishin and flight engineers Kate Rubins of NASA and Takuya Onishi of JAXA conduct final qualification training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center for their flight to the International Space Station in June.

First German commander among astronauts named for station flights

May 18, 2016 Stephen Clark

International Space Station managers have named crew members to future expeditions to the research lab in 2017 and 2018, including the first German commander of a space mission and Canada’s third astronaut to fly a long-duration residency on the complex.