TOKYO (AP) — Japan's space agency says H3 rocket The carrier's navigation satellite failed to place its payload into its planned orbit, a setback for the country's new flagship rocket and its space launch program.
Monday's accident was the second for Japan's new flagship rocket, following its unsuccessful debut flight in 2023 and six successful flights.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said an H3 rocket carrying the Michibiki 5 satellite blasted off Monday from the Tanegashima Space Center on the southwestern Japanese island as part of Japan's plans to obtain more accurate data. positioning system your own.
The rocket's second-stage engine fire unexpectedly shut down prematurely, and the subsequent separation of the satellite from the rocket could not be confirmed, Masashi Okada, JAXA's executive director and director of launch operations, said at a news conference.
It is not known whether the satellite was launched into space or where it ended up, and that JAXA is studying the data to determine the cause and other details, Okada said.
Jun Kondo, an official at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, told reporters that the failure was “extremely regrettable” and that the government had set up a task force to investigate the cause and take the necessary measures as soon as possible to “restore trust.”
Monday's failure was a setback for Japan's new flagship, replacing the earlier H-2A mainstay, which had been a near-perfect success. It also delays Japan's plans to launch satellites, including a plan to create a more independent geolocation system for smartphones, maritime navigation and drones without relying on the U.S. GPS system.
The H3 rocket is designed to be more competitive in the global space market. Japan views stable, commercially competitive space transportation capabilities as key to its space program and national security.
JAXA H3 project manager Makoto Arita said the new flagship is still in the early stages of operation but could be competitive in the global market. “We will pull ourselves together to keep up with the competition. We will fully investigate the cause and get H3 back on track.”
Monday's launch came five days after JAXA aborted it just 17 seconds before liftoff, citing a problem with the launch complex's water spray system following an earlier problem with the rocket.
During its debut flight in March 2023, the H3 failed to fire its second stage engine.
Japan currently has a quasi-zenith satellite system, or QZSS, with five satellites for a regional navigation system that first went into service in 2018. “Mitibiki-5” was supposed to be the sixth in its network.
Japan currently relies partly on US GPS and wants to have a network system of seven satellites by March 2026 and a network of 11 satellites by the late 2030s.
