Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Japanese researchers are studying the design for a multicopter electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing air taxi.

Japan reestablished communications with its toppled Moon probe, which successfully touched down—in an unplanned orientation—last week.

Astrobotic and JAXA wrestle with landing on the Moon.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency says its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) lunar probe has touched down 180 ft. from its planned landing spot.

JAXA has temporarily powered down its ailing lunar lander so that it has sufficient power to restart the craft once the Sun shines on it at the right angle.

Japan has become the fifth country to soft-land a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon, but engineers are assessing an issue with its power system.

Future European launchers will need engines in the 2,000-2,500 kn thrust range and preliminary studies have started.

Japanese financing and leasing company SMFL Mirai and JAXA plan to design business concepts for satellite leasing and reselling.

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk has been named the third crew member for the first operational mission of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner to the ISS.

Signatories of the Artemis Accords plan to share data to avoid potential lunar mission interference.

Astroscale Japan has received an $80 million grant from the Japanese government to “image and diagnose” a large, defunct satellite.

NASA, the Japan Exploration Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency will analyze some of the 250 grams of material from the asteroid Bennu.

The Osiris-Rex sample canister with material gathered from the surface of the asteroid Bennu was flown on Sept. 25 from its landing site in the Utah desert to NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

SkyDrive and JAXA have signed a joint research agreement devoted to improving noise-estimation technology for electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft

After three delays, Japan has placed its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon lunar lander into space, with the aim of validating its landing capabilities.

Thrusters on the International Space Station Russian segment’s Zvezda service module were commanded to fire for an orbital debris avoidance maneuver.

With their six-month, four-person SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the ISS drawing to a close, two of the U.S. flyers praised their NASA crewmate Frank Rubio.

Russia’s Progress MS-24 resupply mission was on course to reach the seven-person International Space Station late Aug. 24.

Preparations continue for the planned Aug. 25 launch of NASA’s Crew-7’s three astronauts and a cosmonaut to the International Space Station.

The X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission is a joint effort by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA and the European Space Agency.

Russia’s Progress MS-22 resupply mission capsule has departed the International Space Station filled with trash.

NASA has moved the planned launch of the SpaceX Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) from Aug. 17 to Aug. 21.

The foursome has trained for a more than six-month mission with a science and technology agenda that includes nearly 160 projects.

Astronauts and cosmonauts from four countries are to launch to the ISS in mid-August aboard SpaceX’s seventh NASA-contracted Crew Dragon mission.