The inaugural launch of Japan’s next-generation rocket yesterday was aborted shortly after takeoff after the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) ordered it to self-destruct and plunge into the ocean, dealing a blow to the nation’s aspirations to take on Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX).
JAXA decided to scrap the mission after the H3 rocket’s second-stage engine failed to ignite, the agency said.
The self-destruct signal was sent to the craft about 19 minutes after it lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, shutting down the engine and forcing the portion carrying a satellite into the Philippine Sea.
Photo: AP
The 63m-tall spacecraft, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, represented Japan’s latest attempt to capitalize on growing demand in the global space industry.
SpaceX has been launching and remotely landing its Falcon orbital rockets since 2015. The H3, on the other hand, has large parts that can be recycled and is more competitively priced, but the rocket itself cannot be landed and launched again.
“It’s our duty to figure out the root cause of the malfunction and eventually restore trust in the rocket,” JAXA president Hiroshi Yamakawa said at a news conference. “The H3 is crucial for Japan’s hopes to reach space.”
A task force was created to investigate what caused the malfunction. JAXA said it had no plans to recover the fallen engine.
Mitsubishi Heavy worked on the H3 for more than a decade. A previous launch attempt on Feb. 17 was aborted before liftoff after a system malfunction from the main engine stopped an ignition signal from reaching its side booster.
The H3 was supposed to launch from the island and deliver a satellite known as DAICHI-3 into orbit.
The satellite was equipped with various instruments, including a sensor designed to detect missile launches that was set to be tested in space for the first time by the Japanese Ministry of Defense.
While rockets with large payload capacities account for a fraction of the global space economy, the commercial satellite industry generated US$386 billion in 2021 and continues to grow, Satellite Industry Association data showed.
The H3 is meant to replace the H2-A, which was first introduced in 2001, as the nation’s flagship rocket. As nations race to claim their slice of a growing aerospace market, JAXA said it aims to launch six satellites into space a year for the next two decades.
For a long time, the main issue was price. At about US$90 million a launch, the H2-A had a similar payload capacity, but came at a greater price than the Falcon 9 booster from SpaceX, which costs US$67 million per launch. Launching the H3 once would cost about US$50 million, JAXA said.
“To the many onlookers, admirers and people involved in the development and launch of the H3, we sincerely apologize,” Yamakawa said.
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