JAXA, the Japanese Space Agency, has announced September 11 as the launch date for its test fight of a cargo system for re-supplying the International Space Station.
Presumably, the launch date was determined by orbital mechanics, and is not related to the terrorist attack of 2001.
In any case, it looks like Japan is joining a growing [...]

Americans are used to seeing their launches live on TV. In fact, after decades of shuttle launches, we see them less frequently live on TV…because they’re not rare or unusual.
The Russian Soyuz launches are common too. But seeing those launches live is still pretty rare. This month will be different. The launch of the next [...]

For the third time in the last few weeks, the International Space Station avoided a collision with debris. This time, the ISS was slowed down and moved to a slightly lower orbit.
Without this maneuver, the ISS might have been damaged by a 4-inch piece from an old Chinese satellite.
The flight director for the current mission [...]