Space & Aeronautics

Half a century has passed since the first humans landed on the moon and today, the space industry has hit a major tipping point. One after another, private companies have entered the space business, in which countries used to compete by staking their national prestige.

AirAsia, the low-cost Malaysian carrier, plans to turn Japan into a hub for budget air travel in East Asia by increasing routes from Nagoya, its Japanese base, and expand pilot training.

Japan's biotechnology company euglena is to start mass production of bio jet fuel and biodiesel out of algae and waste oil, with the aim of being the first company to fuel green commercial flights out of Japan.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said Wednesday it will provide ¥220 billion ($1.94 billion) to its struggling aircraft subsidiary to bolster its capital and help its long-delayed development of a regional passenger jet.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched on Monday an H-IIA rocket carrying Japan’s Ibuki-2 greenhouse gas observation satellite and an Earth observation satellite made by United Arab Emirates, putting both into orbit.

An international research group using the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, including NASA, has named a constellation of gamma ray-emitting stars Godzilla, according to movie distributor Toho Co.

Japanese and European space agencies on Friday launched a rocket carrying two robotic explorers on a seven-year journey to Mercury.

A Japanese probe launched a new observation robot toward an asteroid on Wednesday as it pursues a mission to shed light on the origins of the solar system.