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July 04, 2025
 

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MOON

Models of the lunar lander Resilience (left) and the lunar rover Tenacious (right) operated by Japanese private company Ispace are displayed at the moon landing event venue in Tokyo on June 6. Japan's hopes of achieving its first soft touchdown on the moon by a private company were dashed on June 6, when the mission was aborted after an assumed crash-landing, the startup said.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 24, 2025
Ispace reveals cause of second lunar lander crash
Ispace concluded that the laser range finder failed to provide accurate data in the final phase of landing, leaving the lander unable to slow down in time.
From left: CTO for Ispace Ryo Ujiie, founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada, CFO and director Jumpei Nozaki speak at a news conference in Tokyo. The company said it had aborted a mission to the moon after losing contact with its lander Resilience during a daunting final descent.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 6, 2025
Japanese space startup Ispace fails in second moon-landing mission
The firm had been aiming to become the first private company outside the United States to achieve a soft landing on the moon.
Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of Ispace. The Resilience lunar lander could become the company's first to touch down on the moon on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 2, 2025
Japanese startup Ispace prepares for lunar lander to touch down on the moon
The goal is to achieve a soft landing near the Mare Frigoris, or Sea of Cold, in the moon’s northern hemisphere.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency President Hiroshi Yamakawa speaks at a press briefing in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 17, 2025
Japan remains committed to moon missions as Trump cuts NASA budget, JAXA chief says
U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed a $6 billion cut to NASA's budget could upend the Artemis program to return people to the moon.
Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of Ispace, says his primary interest in space development is not to abandon Earth, but to protect it.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 7, 2025
'Big picture thinker': Ispace CEO Hakamada on reaching the moon and dreaming of starships
CEO Takeshi Hakamada envisions a distant future where humans live and work on the moon — just don't ask him to visit.
Jared Isaacman (left), U.S. President Trump’s nominee to head NASA, testifies during his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday. Bloomberg
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2025
NASA nominee should resist Musk’s pull toward Mars
During a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Jared Isaacman, the nominee for NASA administrator, was — in a twist on the Will Smith ’90s tune — gettin’ squishy wit it.
The International Space Station is seen as a small object to the upper left of the moon.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 5, 2025
Honda to test renewable tech in space soon
The auto giant is developing a mechanism capable of generating electricity and oxygen continuously — enabling astronauts to breathe.
Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of Ispace, speaks during a news conference in September 2024.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2025
Japan startup targets June 6 moon landing
Ispace hopes to have its own moment of glory, after the unsalvageable "hard landing" of its initial attempt in 2023.
This still image taken from a Feb. 24 video released by Firefly Aerospace shows Firefly's Blue Ghost lander on its third lunar orbit, showing the far side of the moon.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 2, 2025
In first, private U.S. spaceship lands upright on moon
Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1 touched down shortly after 3:34 am U.S. Eastern Time on the moon's northeastern near side.
Ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada says the company believes joint lunar missions between United States and Japan will remain on course after the leaders of the two countries met last week.
BUSINESS
Feb 13, 2025
Ispace upbeat as Trump keeps Artemis lunar missions with Japan
Launched last month, Ispace's Resilience lander will approach the moon in about three months for the company's second lunar touchdown.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Ispace's Resilience lunar lander lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 15, 2025
Japanese space startup launches second bid for historic moon landing
A successful landing would make Ispace the first private Asian company to touch down on the moon.
Ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada with the countdown clock for the launch of the startup's lunar lander, in Tokyo's Chuo Ward on Thursday
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 10, 2025
Japanese space startup readies for second lunar lander launch
Ispace's Resilience lander will lift off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A large screen shows news footage of China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe collecting a sample from the far side of the moon, in Beijing in June.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Nov 16, 2024
China tests building moon base with lunar soil bricks
A cargo rocket carrying brick samples blasted off late Friday for the Tiangong space station, part of Beijing's mission to put humans on the moon by 2030.
Astronauts Ayu Yoneda (left) and Makoto Suwa at a news conference in Tokyo on Oct. 23
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2024
New Japanese astronauts see moon landing as real possibility
Under the Artemis international lunar exploration program, Yoneda and Suwa, may become the first Japanese to land on the moon as early as the late 2020s.
Takao Doi, a former astronaut and professor at Kyoto University, holds an engineering model of LignoSat wooden satellite during an interview at the university on Oct. 25.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2024
World's first wooden satellite, developed in Japan, heads to space
The palm-sized satellite is tasked to demonstrate the cosmic potential of the renewable material as humans explore living in space.
(Right to left) Astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze attend a see-off ceremony before taking part in the Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission to China's Tiangong space station, at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Oct 30, 2024
Chinese astronauts to test lunar bricks in space
Should the tests prove successful, the bricks could be a key material used in the construction of a permanent lunar research station.
Then-astronaut candidates Ayu Yoneda (bottom, sixth from left) and Makoto Suwa (bottom center) take part in parabolic flight training.
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2024
Japan’s lunar ambitions advance with two new astronauts
The pair are preparing to become the first non-U.S. astronauts to set foot on the moon.
India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III-M1 blasts off carrying Chandrayaan-2, from the Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota, India, on July 22, 2019.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 14, 2024
India creates space strategy to capture market beyond SpaceX
At stake is a launch market worth $14.54 billion by 2031.
Ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada speaks during a news conference in Tokyo in April 2023, after the firm's first attempt to land on the moon failed.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 12, 2024
Ispace aims for December launch of second moon landing mission
The Hakuto-R Mission 2 spacecraft will be delivered by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida and attempt a lunar touchdown after four to five months of spaceflight.
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon on Jan. 20
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 26, 2024
Japan's space agency ends SLIM moon probe operation
JAXA said that there was no response from the SLIM after trying to communicate last week following three frigid lunar nights.
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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