The newly developed H3launch vehicle is said to be more powerful, cheaper and safer than its predecessor, but it still doesn’t want to fly. Now the next serious setback: On Tuesday, the Japanese space agency Jaxa had to trigger the self-destruct just a few minutes after the start from the Tanegashima cosmodrome in the south-west of the country. The second stage rocket engine failed to fire and the mission had no chance of success. The debris fell into a designated area in the sea, Jaxa said.
Jaxa President Hiroshi Yamakawa apologized for not meeting expectations. Efforts will be made quickly to find out the cause and restore confidence in Japan’s space agency. “The failure marks a serious setback for Japan’s space ambitions,” the business daily said Nike Asia.
According to the information, an observation satellite with a missile early warning system from the Japanese Ministry of Defense was on board. The satellite is equipped with an experimental infrared sensor to detect the launch of ballistic missiles from North Korea.
The H3 is successor to the reliable H2Arocket to be phased out next year. It is 63 meters high and has a diameter of 5.2 meters. The planned maiden flight was already on February 17th H3-Rocket aborted at the last minute due to an electronics failure. This launch attempt was already two years behind schedule. Just last October, Jaxa had the self-destruct of the smaller ones Epsilon-6rocket also had to fire just a few minutes after launch because it had deviated from its intended trajectory.
With a price of five billion yen (34 million euros) per rocket launch, the H3 only about half the price of its predecessor, but has 1.3 times the capacity for satellites. The start of the H3 was actually planned for the 2020 fiscal year, but was postponed due to problems in the development of a main engine.
Japan wants to gain a foothold in the lucrative satellite launch market
The now failed H3-Mission should den Advanced Land Observing Satellite-3 as a key government tool in dealing with disasters. The satellite also carried a Defense Department sensor. It should be tested whether it can detect the launch of ballistic missiles.
Japan wants with the H3 gain a stronger foothold not only in the lucrative and increasingly competitive satellite launch business. According to the Nike Asia should it serve the growing demand for launchers after Russia decided to use its Soyuz– withdraw rockets from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. In addition, the developed over eight years H3 but also send an unmanned cargo transporter to the International Space Station ISS as part of the US-led Artemis program.