The ignition for the second stage of the nation’s first brand-new rocket series in more than 20 years failed, prompting Japan’s space agency to purposefully destroy a new H3 rocket minutes after its launch on Tuesday.
The H3’s failure was a loss for Japan’s space program—and possibly for its missile monitoring program—and a letdown for space enthusiasts who were pulling for Tuesday’s retrial. It came three weeks after an aborted launch due to a different issue.Fans and locals celebrated as the white-headed H3 rocket launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan and climbed into the clear sky. The second stage split as intended and the rocket followed its intended trajectory, however the ignition failed, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Officials from JAXA expressed regret for the mistake and claimed that roughly 14 minutes after liftoff, a command to destroy the rocket was transmitted since it was impossible for it to finish its objective.
The second stage and its cargo, according to Yasuhiro Funo of JAXA, plunged into the deep ocean off the eastern coast of the Philippines. He said that the rocket would not enter the desired orbit while.
There have been no reports of losses or injuries as a result of the rocket’s disintegration or its falling debris.
The Advanced Land Observation Satellite, or ALOS-3, was launched on the rocket along with an experimental infrared sensor created by the Defense Ministry that can track military activity, including missile launches. ALOS-3 is primarily responsible for Earth observation and data collection for disaster response and mapmaking.
According to Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, and Science and Technology Katsuhiko Hara, there are no plans to replace the older version of ALOS with a different satellite launch system. He didn’t specify whether or how the delay may damage the ability to detect missiles and disasters.The failure is the second in six months since a smaller Epsilon-series solid-fueled rocket designed to launch scientific satellites failed in October.
The H3 launch had also been held up more than two years because of an engine development delay. During a launch attempt in February, an electrical glitch after the main engine ignition aborted the launch just before its liftoff and narrowly saved the rocket.
