Japan sends self-destruct order to scrap next-generation rocket launch
2 min read . Updated: 07 Mar 2023, 08:12 AM IST
PremiumThe rocket previously failed to launch on Feb. 17 after a system malfunction from the main engine stopped an ignition signal from reaching its side booster
Japan’s inaugural launch of a next-generation rocket is being aborted via a self-destruct command because the second-stage engine failed to ignite, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said, dashing the country’s aspirations to take on Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
JAXA decided to scrap the mission after lift-off, the agency said in a statement Tuesday. It wasn’t clear whether the self-destruct signal had yet reached the rocket.
The 63-meter-tall rocket, developed and created by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., was the country’s latest attempt to capitalize on growing demand in the global space industry.
Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, has been launching and remotely landing its Falcon orbital rockets since 2015. JAXA’s H3, on the other hand, has large parts that can be recycled, and is more competitively priced. But the rocket itself cannot be landed and launched again.
Mitsubishi Heavy shares fell as much as 3.2% after the launch failure, their biggest intraday decline in a month.
The manufacturer worked on the H3 for more than a decade. The rocket previously failed to launch on Feb. 17 after a system malfunction from the main engine stopped an ignition signal from reaching its side booster.
The H3’s primary mission was to deliver into orbit a satellite known as DAICHI-3, which is equipped with various instruments including a sensor designed to detect missile launches that’s being tested in space for the first time by the Japanese defense ministry.
Japan H3 rocket fails, destruct command issued
The failure is a blow for Japan's space agency JAXA, after the rocket failed to even lift off on its first try last month.
Tuesday's launch from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan initially appeared to be a success, with the flagship rocket lifting off at 10:37am (0137GMT).
The first stage separation appeared to go as planned, but soon afterwards, signs of trouble emerged.
"It seems that the velocity is coming down," announcers on the JAXA live feed said, with the command centre then announcing: "The second stage engine ignition has not been confirmed yet, we continue to confirm the situation."
The live feed was then briefly halted, with a message reading "We are currently checking the status. Please wait."
When it resumed, the command centre announced the news.
"Destruct command has been transmitted to H3 because there was no possibility of achieving the mission."
There was no immediate explanation for why the launch failed.
The H3 is a launch vehicle for an observation satellite, and the rocket has been mooted as a possible competitor to SpaceX's Falcon 9.