Japan Space Program News Today

Japan's SLIM lander has survived two lunar nights despite landing in a less-than-favourable position.

Japan's first privately built rocket exploded seconds into its debut launch, sending smoke and fire billowing across the countryside.

Technical setbacks threaten the SLIM mission despite breaking international records for pinpoint landing. 

Japan's SLIM space probe entered the Moon's orbit on Monday in a major step towards the country's first successful lunar landing, expected next month.

The failure of Japan’s new rocket series, already long delayed, was a setback for the country’s space program.

Insights from Benjamin Charlton. 

The coming ispace lunar landing would mark a paradigm shift in space operations – something Japan has seen coming for over a decade.

The company, ispace, is one of the first private entities to attempt a moon landing. “This is the dawn of the lunar economy,” its CEO declared.

Tokyo needs to enhance multilateral cooperation with the U.S. and other Western countries in space security, says General Kataoka Haruhiko, a former chief of staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

Japan’s space programs will strengthen even more with U.S. President Joe Biden’s partnership. In partnership with Joe Biden's NASA, Japan's space program announced their shared ambition of boosting the Land of the Rising Sun's presence in space.