Japan’s space agency yesterday toasted a successful blast-off for its new flagship rocket, making it third time lucky after years of delays and two previous failed attempts.
The next-generation H3 has been mooted as a rival to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, and could one day deliver cargo to bases on the moon.
“I’ve been in the space industry for a long time, but I’ve never felt so happy before, and I’ve never felt so relieved,” Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) president Hiroshi Yamakawa said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The latest launch follows Japan’s successful landing last month of an uncrewed probe on the moon — albeit at a wonky angle — making it just the fifth country to land a craft on the lunar surface.
The H3 launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan at 9:22am.
Cheers and applause could be heard from the JAXA control center after the agency’s livestream announced the H3’s engines had successfully burned, meaning the rocket had made it into orbit.
Developed jointly by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the H3 is the successor to the H-IIA launch system, which debuted in 2001.
Designed for “high flexibility, high reliability and high cost performance,” the craft would “maintain Japan’s autonomous access to space,” JAXA said.
Unlike the reusable Falcon 9, the H3 is expendable, but scientists say the trial of its world-first technology is significant.
“The H3 rocket has a unique and novel first-stage engine that delivers greater thrust compared to state-of-the-art rockets,” said Michele Trenti, director of the University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Space Laboratory.
The H3 “has the potential to be the most cost-effective rocket,” making the exploration of the solar system more affordable.
Its maiden launch has been beset by mishaps. A launch in February last year was abandoned after ignition issues left the rocket standing motionless on the ground.
On the second try in March last year, technical problems meant a destruct command was issued shortly after blast-off.
Even this launch was postponed by four days due to bad weather.
The rocket which took off yesterday was carrying two small satellites. One of the microsatellites is expected to contribute to disaster prevention by taking photographs and videos.
The other, equipped with a sensor to detect infrared rays, is intended to track the operation conditions of factories on the ground.
Separation of the microsatellites was also confirmed, according to JAXA’s livestream.
“We will keep analyzing the sequences after successfully putting the rocket into orbit,” a JAXA official said.
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