17.02.2023
Japan’s new generation main rocket H3 failed for the first time on Friday (February 17) due to ignition problems.
(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) Japan’s new generation of main launch vehicle H3 rocket failed for the first time on Friday (February 17) due to obvious ignition problems.
It is the first new medium-to-light launcher developed by Japan in nearly three decades.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the rocket failed to lift off after a pair of rocket boosters strapped to the side of the spacecraft failed to ignite.
The first rocket, H3, was scheduled to blast off live on television this morning from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan.
The TV screen showed that the main engine emitted white smoke, indicating that the first ignition was successful; but the 57-meter-long rocket stopped quietly on the launch pad.
The rocket, developed for more commercial launches, is planned to carry an observation satellite. The satellite also houses an experimental infrared sensor that can detect missile launches.
A PR representative for the JAXA project speaks to reporters after a failed rocket launch
“I know many people have been waiting and looking forward to this day. I am sorry and I am very sorry and frustrated myself,” JAXA project manager Masashi Okada said at a news conference, wiping away tears.
(AFP, AP, Reuters)
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