On Tuesday, Japan’s aerospace agency JAXA announced that it destroyed a new medium-lift rocket that failed to ignite its second-stage engine. The 187 feet tall H3 rocket had been launched from the Tanegashima spaceport after a previous launch attempt was aborted last month.
Following the failure, JAXA sent a self-destruct signal to the rocket, which resulted in the vehicle being destroyed. The cause of the engine failure is currently under investigation.
The H3 rocket was designed to carry payloads of up to 8.5 tons into low Earth orbit and up to 4 tons into geostationary orbit. Its successful launch would have marked a significant milestone for Japan’s space industry, which had been lagging behind other nations in recent years.
The failure of the H3 rocket is a setback for Japan’s efforts to boost its presence in the space industry and compete with other major spacefaring nations. The country aims to increase its share of the global space industry market from the current 4% to 10% by 2030.
Overall, the failure of Japan’s H3 rocket highlights the challenges and risks involved in space launches and the importance of continued innovation and development in the space industry.