Port MARI YAMAGUCHI
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's space agency says its H3 rocket carrying a navigation satellite failed to deliver its payload to its intended orbit, a setback for the country's new flagship rocket and its space launch program.
Monday's failure was the second for Japan's new flagship rocket, following a failed first flight in 2023 and six successful flights.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said an H3 rocket carrying the Michibiki 5 satellite blasted off Monday from the Tanegashima Space Center on an island in southwest Japan as part of Japan's plans to develop its own more accurate positioning system.
The rocket's second-stage engine unexpectedly shut down prematurely, and subsequent separation of the satellite from the rocket could not be confirmed, JAXA executive and launch director Masashi Okada said at a news conference.
Okada noted that it is unknown 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.
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 formed a task force to investigate the cause and take the necessary measures as soon as possible to “restore trust.”
Monday's decision is a setback for Japan's new flagship missile, which replaces the previous H-2A model, which had a nearly perfect track record of 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 cost competitive in the global space market. Japan views stable and commercially competitive space transportation capabilities as key to its space program and national security.
Makoto Arita, JAXA's H3 project manager, said the new flagship is still in the early stages of operation but could be competitive in the global market. “We will regroup to keep up with our opponents. We will fully investigate the cause and get the H3 back on the road,” he said.
Monday's launch came five days after JAXA aborted liftoff just 17 seconds before launch, citing an anomaly in the launch complex's water spray system following an earlier problem with the rocket.
During its first flight in March 2023, the H3 failed to fire its second stage engine.
Japan currently has a Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) with five satellites for its regional navigation system, which first became operational in 2018. “Mitibiki-5” was supposed to be the sixth in its network.
Japan is currently partially dependent 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.
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This story was translated from English by an AP editor using a generative artificial intelligence tool.
