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Japan’s Space Ambition Remains Unsuccessful After Failure In First Flight

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Japan’s attempts to lower the cost of accessing space and compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX received a major setback as a new medium-lift rocket from the country failed on its first flight into space on Tuesday after the launcher’s second-stage engine did not ignite as intended.

According to a live transmission by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the 57-meter (187-foot) tall H3 rocket launched from the Tanegashima space port without incident.

But once in orbit, the rocket’s second-stage engine failed to fire, necessitating the manual destruction of the craft by mission authorities.

A launch broadcast commentator from JAXA said, “it was decided the rocket could not complete its mission, so the destruct command was sent. So what happened? It’s something we will have to investigate looking at all the data.”

Hirotaka Watanabe, a specialist in space policy and a professor at Osaka University, said of the latest attempt, “Unlike the previous cancellation and postponement, this time it was a complete failure.”

The future space strategy, space business, and technological competitiveness of Japan will all be significantly impacted by this, he continued.

The ALOS-3, a satellite for disaster management and land surveillance, was launched by Japan’s first new rocket in three decades. It also included an experimental infrared sensor for spotting launches of North Korean ballistic missiles.

The H3’s manufacturer, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) (7011.T), stated that it was checking the rocket’s status with JAXA and did not have an immediate remark.

The H3 is expected to cost half as much to launch as its predecessor, the H-II, according to MHI, enabling it to compete in a global launch market that is increasingly dominated by SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rocket.

A company representative previously stated that the firm was counting on the dependability of Japan’s earlier rockets to attract customers.

The cost of a Falcon 9 launch to low Earth orbit was estimated by the Center for Strategic and International Studies to be $2,600 per kilogramme in a study released in September. The H-II has a comparable price tag of $10,500.

The European Space Agency’s new, less expensive Ariane 6 vehicle was supposed to be launched later this year, but a successful launch on Tuesday would have placed the Japanese rocket into orbit first.

The H3 is intended to launch government and private satellites into Earth orbit and will deliver supplies to the International Space Station. It is powered by a new, more affordable engine that uses 3D-printed components.

It will ultimately transport cargo to the Gateway lunar space station that NASA plans to construct as part of its programme to return people to the moon, including Japanese astronauts, as part of Japan’s expanding cooperation with the United States in space.

In early trade, MHI shares decreased 1.8%, while the larger Japanese benchmark index increased.

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