NASA

HELSINKI — Japan’s flagship H3 rocket successfully launched the Michibiki 6 navigation satellite early Sunday, enhancing the country’s regional GPS capabilities.The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) H3 rocket lifted off at 3:30 a.m. Eastern (0830 UTC) Feb. 2 from Tanegashima Space Center. Aboard was the 1,900-kilogram Michibiki 6 satellite, also known as the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZS-6), for Japan’s navigation satellite system. The system aims to provide Japan with positioning, navigation and timing services, while increasing the accuracy and reliability of GPS services in the region. Michibiki 6 will be placed at 90.5 degrees East in the geostationary belt, 35,786 kilometers above the equator.The first Michibiki spacecraft for a four-satellite system was launched in 2010. ...

WASHINGTON — Defense contractor Raytheon is partnering with satellite imaging startups Array Labs and Umbra Space to develop advanced three-dimensional Earth observation technologies for the commercial and government markets.The companies announced Jan. 27 they will jointly offer a new product called Site3D, which combines synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology with specialized mapping algorithms to create detailed 3D models of the Earth’s surface.SAR technology, which can capture images regardless of weather conditions or time of day, has gained increasing commercial adoption as satellite companies seek to provide continuous monitoring capabilities to customers.Santa Barbara-based Umbra Space currently operates SAR satellites for Earth observation, while Palo Alto startup Array ...

WASHINGTON — Finland signed the Artemis Accords Jan. 21, the first country to do so this year amid questions about the future of the agreement in the new Trump administration.NASA said in a statement that Finland signed the Accords, which outline best practices for safe and sustainable space exploration, during the Winter Satellite Workshop 2025 at Aalto University in Espoo, Finland. The country is the 53rd to sign the Accords and the first to do so in 2025.“Today, Finland is joining a community of nations that want to share scientific data freely, operate safely and preserve the space environment for the Artemis Generation,” NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free said in the statement. “Forging strong partnerships between our nations and among the international community is critical...

TAMPA, Fla. — Emirati operator Space42 said Jan. 15 it has established communications with its recently launched Foresight-2 satellite, the second synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payload for the hybrid imaging and connectivity provider. Provided by Finnish SAR operator Iceye, Foresight-2 was one of 131 payloads SpaceX sent to sun-synchronous orbit Jan. 14 on a Falcon 9 rocket. Iceye also said it successfully made contact with three other SAR satellites on the Transporter-12 rideshare mission, which will join the Finnish operator’s constellation to provide services to government and commercial customers. All four satellites are designed to provide imagery with 25-centimeter resolution using radar signals, which are unaffected by cloud cover, weather, or lighting conditions. United...