A JAXA livestream showed scientists clapping and hugging each other in celebration at the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan, after it was announced that the H3 rocket had successfully lifted off at 9:22 a.m. Tokyo time and was on track with its engines working normally.
JAXA said the H3 rocket was successfully launched and entered orbit, carrying a test satellite and two micro-functional satellites.
The H3 rocket lifts off from the launch pad at the Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island in southwestern Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan on February 17, 2024. Photo: Kyodo
The successful launch of the new-generation H3 rocket marked the second consecutive victory for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) after the SLIM lunar lander achieved a precise landing on the Moon last month.
A relatively small country in terms of space launches, Japan is looking to revive its satellite program as it partners with ally the United States in a race with China.
“This is a good sign,” said Professor Ko Ogasawara at Tokyo University of Science. “It took a while for the program to reach its goal, but with this launch, they will be able to address requests from all over the world.”
The H3 rocket will replace the two-decade-old H-IIA rocket. JAXA and prime contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries hope that its lower cost and larger payload capacity will attract global customers.
The H3’s maiden flight last March ended in failure when ground controllers destroyed the rocket 14 minutes into liftoff because its second-stage engine failed to ignite. By October, JAXA had listed three possible electrical failures but had not identified a direct cause.
The 63-meter-long H3 rocket is designed to carry a 6.5-ton payload into space. By simplifying the structure and electronics, the cost of each H3 launch is reduced to as low as 5 billion yen ($33 million), much lower than the approximately 10 billion yen per launch of the H-IIA rocket.
Japan plans to launch about 20 satellites and probes on H3 rockets by 2030. H3 is expected to deliver a lunar probe for the Japan-India joint LUPEX project in 2025, as well as a cargo spacecraft for the future US-led Artemis lunar exploration program.
Demand for satellite launches has skyrocketed thanks to the rise of affordable commercial vehicles like SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 rocket and several new rockets being tested this year.
Hoai Phuong (according to Reuters)
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