The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is scheduled to launch the Venus Climate Orbiter “PLANET-C” in Japan Fiscal Year 2010. JAXA has decided the nickname of the PLANET-C as Venus Climate Orbiter “AKATSUKI” (meaning “Dawn”) The name was discussed and decided by the PLANET-C project team. “AKATSUKI” means “dawn” when Venus shines most brightly as [...]

The Demonstration Flight H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) was successfully berthed at the International Space Station (ISS) at 10:49 a.m. on September 18 (Japan Standard Time, JST.) The HTV started its final approach to the ISS, and was captured by the ISS robotic arm at 4:51 a.m. on September 18 (JST.) Then at 10:49 a.m. on [...]

The fourth and final pair of massive solar arrays, at its Space Systems facility in Sunnyvale, have been installed on the International Space Station by the crew of the space shuttle Discovery. The two new arrays have been deployed and are generating electricity. The Space Systems ISS solar arrays are the largest deployable space structure [...]