Japan’s Flagship H3 Rocket Fails to Lift Off Despite Having Its Main Engine Ignited

By Staff, Agencies

Japan's flagship H3 rocket failed to lift off from a space center on the southeast coast of Tanegashima on Friday despite having its main engine ignited, the country's space agency said.

"Regarding today's scheduled launch of H3 Launch Vehicle, we have a report that the main engine was ignited but that the SRB-3s were not," said Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency [JAXA] in a brief statement.

"We are confirming the situation. Further information will be updated," it added.

According to local media, the long-awaited launch attempt from the Tanegashima Space Center had been plagued by delays, and the failure on Friday is a setback for Japan's space strategy.

"The agency is planning to try to launch the rocket again in one or two weeks' time," Kyodo News Agency reported, citing a government official.

The H3 Launch Vehicle is Japan's new flagship rocket, designed to achieve high flexibility, reliability, and cost performance.

The rocket was originally scheduled to launch in March 2021, but it was delayed due to problems with the newly developed LE-9 first-stage engine.

In October last year, a rocket carrying eight satellites was launched, but it failed to reach its set orbit.