The Japanese Space Agency on Tuesday (13/2) postponed the launch of its next-generation rocket, which was planned for this week due to bad weather forecast, after two previous similar attempts ended in failure.
The H3 rocket has been scheduled to launch on Thursday (15/2) from the southern region of Tanegashima island.
Billed as a flexible and cost-effective new aircraft, the rocket will carry two small satellites on the mission, and aims to prove that they can enter orbit.
“Because the weather on that day was expected to worsen, we decided to postpone the launch,” the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said, adding that a new schedule would be announced “once a decision has been made.”
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Japan managed to land SLIM, its spacecraft nicknamed the “Moon Sniper,” on the lunar surface last month, even though the craft’s solar panels were facing the wrong direction.
Previously, Japan had experienced a series of failures in their space projects.
These failures included the first H3 rocket launch attempt in February 2023, which had been delayed for several years and failed when the solid rocket booster did not ignite.
Then, in a second attempt in March, the spacecraft was ordered to self-destruct, when the command center confirmed that the mission would not be successful.
Developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the H3 rocket is the successor to Japan’s H-IIA launch system, which debuted in 2001. [ns/lt]
2024-02-13 18:46:52
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