Sceye signs five-year deal to fly HAPS fleet for SoftBank in Japan
Sceye signed a five-year deal to fly a fleet of at least 40 stratospheric platforms for SoftBank over Japan.
#japan
Rocket Lab launches 10th dedicated Electron mission for iQPS
Rocket Lab's 99th Electron flight deployed iQPS's WADATSUMI-II SAR satellite, the pair's 10th dedicated launch together.
ispace wins JAXA contract to design lunar solar power tower
JAXA selected ispace to conceptually design a solar-power tower for the Moon's south pole, targeting deployment after 2030.
Update: JAXA launches MMX sample-return mission toward Mars moon Phobos
JAXA confirms MMX completed its initial critical operations phase on Oct. 21: solar arrays deployed, three-axis attitude control established, and the spacecr...
original 2026-10-19
Update: JAXA launches MMX sample-return mission toward Mars moon Phobos
JAXA's own post-launch release confirms MMX separated from the H3 upper stage 71 minutes and 13 seconds after liftoff and was injected into its planned traje...
original 2026-10-19score 4 → 5
JAXA launches MMX sample-return mission toward Mars moon Phobos
JAXA's H3 rocket lifted off carrying MMX, Japan's first interplanetary mission and first attempt to return a sample from a Martian moon.
Update: JAXA schedules MMX Mars-moon sample-return launch for October 20
SpacePolicyOnline adds detail on MMX's two NASA instruments, the 15% US sample share, NASA's $87 million cost stake, and the mission's international partners.
original 2026-08-20
Solafune and Tohoku University to develop AI-powered Earth observation satellite
Solafune and Tohoku University opened a joint research center to build an Earth observation satellite that analyzes imagery onboard.
ArkEdge wins JAXA contracts for two lunar navigation technology demos
JAXA tapped the Japanese startup to study a lunar rover navigation receiver and build a lunar-satellite signal-reception demo.
Rocket Lab signs 20-launch Electron deal with Synspective, its largest ever
Rocket Lab's biggest-ever commercial Electron deal adds 20 more launches for Synspective's StriX SAR constellation.
Rocket Lab launches Synspective's 13th StriX SAR satellite
Rocket Lab's 97th Electron mission deployed Synspective's 13th StriX radar satellite to a 559km orbit, per the company's release.
Callisto reusable rocket demonstrator's nose cone clears testing ahead of delayed 2027 hop
DLR finished testing Callisto's nose cone as the joint CNES-DLR-JAXA reusable-rocket demonstrator's first hop test slips to 2027.
Rocket Lab launches Synspective's 12th StriX SAR satellite
Rocket Lab's 96th Electron flight put Synspective's 12th StriX radar satellite into a 572km orbit from New Zealand.
KDDI signs Asia's first Starlink Mobile V2 service contract
KDDI signed with SpaceX for next-generation Starlink Mobile V2 service, which it calls Asia's first such contract.
iQPS books H3 rideshare launch with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
iQPS signed a rideshare deal to fly three QPS-SAR satellites on Japan's H3 rocket, per Economia dello Spazio.
U-Space and Tenchijin partner on next-generation infrared Earth observation system
France's U-Space and Japan's Tenchijin signed an MoU to build an infrared Earth observation system, per 01net.it.
MaiaSpace signs first Asia-Pacific launch deal with Japan's iQPS
iQPS booked MaiaSpace to launch a series of its QPS-SAR satellites from 2029, MaiaSpace's first long-term Asia-Pacific customer.
ICEYE signs Sompo Japan for satellite flood claims response
Sompo Japan will use ICEYE's Flood Insights SAR data to speed up flood insurance claims assessment.
Update: Axelspace partners with Airbus Defence and Space on GRUS imagery
Via Satellite's own Sept 3 writeup independently covers the Sept 1 Axelspace/Airbus GRUS imagery partnership with distinct wording and a CEO quote, giving ge...
original 2026-09-01score 2 → 3
Rocket Lab launches Synspective's 11th StriX SAR satellite
Rocket Lab's 94th Electron flight put Synspective's 11th StriX radar satellite into a 575km orbit from New Zealand.
Axelspace partners with Airbus Defence and Space on GRUS imagery
Axelspace and Airbus Defence and Space will jointly distribute GRUS satellite imagery to a broader customer base.
JAXA schedules MMX Mars-moon sample-return launch for October 20
JAXA set an October 20 launch date for its MMX Mars sample-return mission aboard H3 flight F10, carrying two NASA instruments.
Rocket Lab launches 9th iQPS radar-imaging satellite
Electron deployed iQPS's QPS-SAR-18 satellite "SUSANOO-II" on the 93rd Electron mission overall.
Letara raises $16 million pre-Series A to build hybrid rocket engines
Japanese propulsion startup Letara closed a ¥2.6 billion ($16 million) pre-Series A round for its hybrid rocket engine technology.
Update: JAXA launches Michibiki 7 navigation satellite on H3 rocket's 9th flight
Per SpaceNews, QZS-7 also carried a US Space Force space domain awareness sensor, designed and built by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, completing the QZSS-HP hosted...
original 2026-08-11
Redwire and Kanematsu form strategic partnership for Japan's space sector
Redwire named Kanematsu its commercial partner in Japan for power generation, microgravity payload and robotics offerings.
JAXA launches Michibiki 7 navigation satellite on H3 rocket's 9th flight
JAXA's QZS-7 launch on H3's 9th flight also completed a US-Japan space domain awareness hosted-payload program.
Rocket Lab launches 8th iQPS radar-imaging satellite after 5-week delay
Electron deployed iQPS's QPS-SAR-13 satellite, Rocket Lab's 92nd orbital mission, five weeks after a launch abort.
Synspective releases first imagery from ninth StriX SAR satellite
Synspective's ninth StriX satellite, launched in May, returned its first test radar image of Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
AST SpaceMobile launches direct-to-cellular service in Japan with Rakuten
AST SpaceMobile began active satellite-to-phone service in Japan alongside Rakuten Mobile, its first commercial market outside the US.
Update: ispace switches to Japan's H3 rocket for 2028 lunar lander mission
Upgrades the lead from Nikkei (mainstream) to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' own press release confirming the launch-services contract signing, and attaches Sp...
original 2026-07-29score 2 → 5
Rocket Lab signs third iQPS launch deal for three more Electron missions
Rocket Lab will fly three more iQPS SAR satellites on Electron starting late 2027, its third contract with iQPS this year.
ispace switches to Japan's H3 rocket for 2028 lunar lander mission
ispace and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries signed a launch contract putting ispace's next lunar lander on Japan's domestic H3 rocket in 2028.
Synspective images Kumamoto earthquake damage with StriX SAR satellites
Synspective tasked StriX SAR satellites hours after Japan's July 28 Kumamoto quake, later measuring up to 1m of fault displacement.
JAXA completes Epsilon S second-stage engine test after switching to backup motor
JAXA's Epsilon S clears its second-stage engine test, using a fallback motor after two prior explosions grounded the program.
IHI signs MOU to explore Kuva hyperspectral satellites for Japan constellation
IHI and Kuva Space signed an MOU to explore Hyperfield-2 hyperspectral satellites for Japan's EO constellation.
Sky Perfect JSAT and ispace sign lunar ground station MoU
The companies will study using JSAT's ground network for ispace's ULTRA lunar lander, targeted for 2028.
Japan sets goal of 30 orbital launches a year by early 2030s
Japan's National Space Policy Secretariat targets 30 launches yearly by the early 2030s, per SpaceNews.
JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy fly RV-X reusable rocket testbed on first hop
JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries flew a short hover-and-land test of their RV-X reusable rocket testbed.
ElevationSpace advances reentry vehicle toward 2027 demo
ElevationSpace signed a partner for its AOBA reentry demonstrator and detailed progress toward a mid-2027 first flight.
D-Orbit signs launch-services contract with ArkEdge Space
D-Orbit will fly ArkEdge Space demo satellites on its ION carrier from 2027, per SpaceNews.
Axelspace launches seven GRUS-3 Earth observation satellites
Axelspace's seven next-generation GRUS-3 microsatellites reached orbit and returned first signals on Transporter-17.
JAXA's Hayabusa2 makes closest-ever asteroid flyby, first laser ranging
Hayabusa2 passed 744 meters from asteroid Torifune's center, the closest Solar System flyby on record, laser-ranging it during the pass.
Synspective's 10th StriX SAR satellite reaches orbit on Rocket Lab Electron
The Ten Owl of Ten mission flew from Mahia on June 26; testing and commissioning precede service entry, per Synspective.
MDA Space wins Mitsubishi Electric subcontract for Japan's next-gen milsatcom
MDA Space will build the digital payload and antennas for Japan's next-generation defence communications satellite.
Axelspace to supply GRUS imagery to Saudi Arabia's NSG UP42 national EO platform
The Japanese operator's optical imagery joins the PIF-backed platform for agriculture, land-use and disaster monitoring.
JAXA flies H3 in its boosterless 30 configuration with six satellites aboard
H3 flight No.6 flew as planned from Tanegashima; per SpaceNews it debuted the three-engine, zero-booster H3-30S variant.