Japan’s space agency Jaxa ordered the destruction of the H3 rocket shortly after liftoff for its maiden flight on Tuesday due to an apparent failure of the secondary engines.
Developed jointly by Jaxa and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the rocket took off from the Tanegashima Space Center, in Kagoshima (southwest), at 10:37 a.m. (01:37 a.m. in Lisbon), but minutes later the secondary engines failed to ignite and the La agency sent a self-destruct order to the device.
In the middle of last month, the rocket was unable to take off due to a problem with the propellants, forcing Jaxa to postpone the maiden flight.
The new H3 rocket, the launch of which has been postponed several times in recent years, is of great importance for the development of Japan’s aerospace program.
The rocket’s maiden flight was initially scheduled for the end of March 2021, but the date was pushed back by about two years due to problems with the newly developed LE-9 first-stage engine and parts replacement.
The H3, which will replace the H2-A and H2-B models used by JAXA to put satellites into orbit, is the first space rocket to use a first-stage engine that improves fuel efficiency.
Marking the first renewal of the country’s flagship launch vehicle in two decades, the rocket is expected to launch the DAICHI-3 Earth observation satellite into orbit to monitor the situation in disaster-hit areas.
Source: TSF
