TOKYO—Japan launched a rocket Thursday carrying an X-ray telescope that will explore the origins of the universe as well as a small lunar lander. The launch of the HII-A rocket from Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan was shown on live video by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, known as…
An HII-A rocket blasts off from the launch pad at Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, southern Japan on Thursday, September 7, 2023.
“We have a liftoff,” the narrator at JAXA said as the rocket flew up in a burst of smoke then flew over the Pacific. In cooperation with NASA, JAXA will look at the strength of light at different wavelengths, the temperature of things in space and their shapes and brightness. “Understanding the distribution of this hot plasma in space and time, as well as its dynamical motion, will shed light on diverse phenomena such as black holes, the evolution of chemical elements in the universe and the formation of galactic clusters,” Alexander said.
JAXA is developing “pinpoint landing technology” to prepare for future lunar probes and landing on other planets. While landings now tend to be off by about 10 kilometers or more, the Smart Lander is designed to be more precise, within about 100 meters of the intended target, JAXA official Shinichiro Sakai told reporters ahead of the launch.The move comes at a time when the world is again turning to the challenge of going to the moon.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Japan launches rocket carrying lunar lander, X-ray telescope to explore origins of universeTOKYO: Japan launched a rocket Thursday carrying an X-ray telescope that will explore the origins of the universe as well as a small lunar lander.
Read more »
Man charged for throwing explosive at Japan PMTokyo, Japan - A man accused of throwing a pipe bomb at Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in April has
Read more »
Man charged for throwing explosive at Japan PMTOKYO, Japan -- A man accused of throwing a pipe bomb at Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in April has been charged with attempted murder, a court spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Read more »
Japan launches 'moon sniper' lunar lander SLIM into spaceJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency says the rocket took off from Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan as planned and successfully released the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon
Read more »
PH, US, Japan agree to tackle attempts by force in South China SeaJAKARTA —The Philippines, the US, and Japan have agreed to jointly tackle unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the South China Sea (SCS).
Read more »
Japan's Johnny Kitagawa sex abuse scandal forces shake-up at J-pop agencyThe niece of the late J-pop magnate with a sexual abuse scandal has stepped down as the head of the talent agency her uncle founded
Read more »