Photo: Bloomberg (representative image)
A new Japanese flagship H3 rocket lifted off from a space station in southwestern Japan on Saturday, successfully reaching a planned trajectory and releasing one of two payloads in a key second test flight, a year after its failed debut launch.
The H3 rocket took off on time from a launch pad at the Tanegashima Space Center on Saturday morning, two days after the originally scheduled launch, which was postponed due to bad weather.
The rocket’s maiden flight went smoothly as planned and it successfully released the first of two small payloads, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said. JAXA will hold a press conference later today to provide further details. Officials confirm the status of a second satellite.
The launch is being closely watched as a test for Japan’s space development after H3 failed on its debut flight last March. JAXA and its prime contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries developed H3 as a successor to its current mainstay, H-2A, which is being retired after two more flights.
Members of the H3 project team are under intense pressure to get the rocket flying again. The H3 No. 2 rocket was decorated with thousands of stickers with cheering messages sent by well-wishers from across the country.
As the rocket soared into orbit and successfully released its first payload, project members from the JAXA command center cheered and hugged each other in livestream footage. NHK television said some employees at a news center were crying with relief and joy.
During its debut flight last March, the rocket had to be destroyed along with its payload, the Advanced Land Observation Satellite, or ALOS-3. This time the rocket will carry a mockup of the ALOS satellite, called VEP-4, although it is not designed to be released.
JAXA says the primary goal of the second test flight is to put the missile on its intended trajectory. The agency also planned to launch two observational microsatellites into orbit.
Saturday’s success is a major boost for Japan’s space program as the country struggles to stay competitive in the global space race.
H3 is designed to carry larger payloads than H-2A at a much lower cost to be globally competitive.
Expectations were high after a recent string of successes. JAXA made a historic precision moon landing last month with a spacecraft launched from the H-2A rocket, days after the 48th H-2A rocket successfully placed a spy satellite into its intended orbit.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
First print: February 17, 2024 | 8:56 am IST