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The article discusses solar sails launched by the U.S. National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the Planetary Society, a non-profit astronomy association. Solar sails, which use pressure exerted by solar photons to move, could be used to monitor the poles, travel near the sun, and explore objects such as Pluto. JAXA's Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun (IKAROS) mission tested the propulsion of a solar sail, while NASA's NanoSail-D orbits the Earth. INSETS: Driving a solar sail;Up, up and away.

Focuses on the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), the Tanegashima Space Center, and the Tsukuba Space Center. Discussion about the Yoshinobu launch site and Kagoshima Space Center; Development of H-II or HOPE launch vehicle by NASDA, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and others; History of Japan's space industry.

The article discusses a program by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) which will use technology developed for the HTV Kounotori cargo craft to create the HTV return vehicle (HRV) and manned space vehicles. The HRV would be used to bring supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) and might be built by Mistubish Heavy Industries, which was the prime contractor for Kounotori. Koichi Okita of JAXA talks about the development of a mission-abort system for manned spacecraft.

The article reports on the status of the first flight version of the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) being built by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) technicians as of April 2008. The HTV is set for launch to the International Space Station (ISS) in the summer of 2009 on a newly designed Mitsubishi H-IIB rocket. Under construction at Tsukuba Space Center near Tokyo, the 33-ft.-long HTV is designed to carry both pressurized and unpressurized goods to the ISS.

Reports on the space rocket factory opened by Nissan company at Tomioka in Japan. Commercial rockets to be manufactured by the factory; Information on the products to be supplied by the factory; Description of the plant.

The article looks at the design of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) cargo return vehicle. Derived from its HII Transfer Vehicle resupply craft for the International Space Station, the cargo return vehicle will have a blunt capsule because of its large payload capability. Preliminary design work on the cargo return vehicle could begin in April 2007.

Reports on the plans of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency to develop a manned spacecraft based on its H-2 Transfer Vehicle (HTV). Scheduled prototype test flight; Development of the vessel for the International Space Station; Improvement in the reliability of its H-2A launch vehicle.