Following the unsuccessful ignition of the flagship space vehicle’s main engine, Japan’s new H3 space rocket failed to blast off.
The H3’s main engine was cut off after the launch countdown reached zero during a live stream, leaving the the57-meter (187 ft) high rocket standing on its launch pad at the Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island in the country’s southwestern Kagoshima prefecture.
The H3’s main engine had ignited but the boosters did not according to Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
The H3 rocket was carrying Japan’s ALOS-3 land observation satellite into orbit, a key tool for disaster-management imaging, and is also equipped with an infrared sensor designed to detect North Korean ballistic missiles.
H3 was made to reduce costs and replace Japan’s current rocket mainstay the H2A which has been launched 46 times so far and is scheduled to retire after 50 launches.
Investigation for the cause of the apparent failure is ongoing.
Japan’s New H3 Space Rocket Fails To Blast Off
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