TOKYO: In a blow to its efforts to expand access to space and maintain competitiveness in a launch market rocked by Elon Musk's SpaceX, Japan announced it has developed a new medium-sized rocket that launched into space on Tuesday after the vehicle's second stage. -The lift rocket has been destroyed. Engine failed to ignite.
The 57-metre (187-foot) tall H3 rocket was launched from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Tanegashima space port, after a failed launch last month. After the engine failed, JAXA claimed to have sent a self-destruct signal to the rocket.
The H3 was transporting ALOS-3, a satellite for disaster management and land observation, which is also equipped with a prototype infrared sensor to detect the launch of North Korean ballistic missiles.
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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) (7011.T), the maker of the H3 structure, saw a 1.8% drop in morning trade, compared to a 0.4% rise in the broader Japanese benchmark index (.N225).
The H3 aims to launch government and commercial satellites into Earth orbit using a new engine that is simpler, cheaper and includes 3D-printed components. Another purpose was to transport supplies to the International Space Station.
It will eventually deliver cargo to the Gateway lunar space station, which NASA plans to build as part of Japan's deepening cooperation with the United States in space as part of its program to return people, including Japanese astronauts, to the Moon. planning.
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The H3 is expected to cost half as much to launch as its predecessor, the H-II, according to MHI, helping it compete in a global launch market dominated by SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 rocket.
The cost of a Falcon 9 launch into low Earth orbit was estimated at $2,600 per kilogram by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in a report released in September. The H-II costs the equivalent of $10,500.
