TOKYO: The inaugural launch of Japan’s next-generation rocket was aborted shortly after takeoff as launch controllers ordered it to self-destruct and plunge into the ocean, dealing a blow to the country’s aspirations to take on Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) decided to scrap the mission after the H3 rocket’s second-stage engine failed to ignite, the agency said on Tuesday.
The self-destruct signal was sent to the craft about 19 minutes after it lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, shutting down the engine and forcing the portion carrying a satellite into the Philippine Sea.
The 63-metre-tall spacecraft, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, represented Japan’s latest attempt to capitalise on growing demand in the global space industry. Space Exploration Technologies Corp has been launching and remotely landing its Falcon orbital rockets since 2015. The H3, on the other hand, has large parts that can be recycled, and is more competitively priced. But the rocket itself cannot be landed and launched again.
“It’s our duty to figure out the root cause of the malfunction and eventually restore trust in the rocket,” Jaxa president Hiroshi Yamakawa said at a briefing. “The H3 is crucial for Japan’s hopes to reach space.”
A task force was created to investigate what caused the malfunction. Jaxa said it currently has no plans to recover the fallen engine.
Mitsubishi Heavy worked on the H3 for more than a decade. A previous launch attempt on Feb 17 was aborted before liftoff after a system malfunction from the main engine stopped an ignition signal from reaching its side booster.
The H3 was supposed to launch from the island using 267 tonnes of vertical force to escape Earth’s gravitational pull and deliver a satellite known as Daichi-3 into orbit.
The satellite was equipped with various instruments including a sensor designed to detect missile launches that was set to be tested in space for the first time by the Japanese defence ministry.
While rockets with large payload capacities account for a fraction of the global space economy, the commercial satellite industry generated $386 billion in 2021 and continues to grow, according to data from the Satellite Industry Association.
The H3 is meant to replace the H2-A, which was first introduced in 2001 as the country’s flagship rocket. As nations race to claim their slice of a growing aerospace market, Jaxa said it aims to launch six satellites into space a year for the next two decades.
For a long time, the main issue was price. At about $90 million a launch, the H2-A had a similar payload capacity but came at a greater price than the Falcon 9 booster from SpaceX, which costs $67 million per launch. According to Jaxa, launching the H3 once will cost about $50 million.
“To the many onlookers, admirers and people involved in the development and launch of the H3, we sincerely apologise,” Yamakawa said at the briefing.