Japan has successfully launched its new H3 rocket launch vehicle after an initial failure. The rocket took off on Saturday from the Tanegashima spaceport in the southwest of the Far Eastern island kingdom with a dummy satellite and two tiny satellites on board. With the restart, the Japanese space agency Jaxa wants to dispel doubts about the reliability of the new launch vehicle. The rocket entered its planned orbit after the successful launch, it said.
During a first launch attempt last year, the engine of the second rocket stage failed to ignite. Since the mission had no chance of success, the launch vehicle self-destructed a few minutes after liftoff. The H3 is the successor to the reliable H2A rocket and Japan’s first new development of its own large launch vehicle in around 30 years. The H3 is considered more powerful, cheaper and safer than the H2A, which is scheduled to be phased out in fiscal year 2024, which begins April 1.
Last year’s failure came after a series of delays in the rocket’s development. The ignition system for rocket number 2, which was launched on Saturday, has been improved after problems with the first rocket, as the space agency Jaxa announced. With the new H3 carrier rocket, Japan wants to gain a stronger foothold in the lucrative and increasingly competitive satellite launch business. In addition, the rocket, developed over eight years, is intended to send an unmanned cargo transporter to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the US-led Artemis program.
