By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.
I agree
Search Trends
SITEMAP
Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
SITEMAP
Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
An H3 rocket lifts off from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, southern Japan, February 17, 2024. /AP
A new Japanese flagship H3 rocket lifted off from a space station in southwestern Japan on Saturday in a key second test flight a year after its failed debut launch.
The H3 rocket blasted off from a launch pad at the Tanegashima Space Center two days after its originally scheduled liftoff, which was delayed due to bad weather.
The rocket's initial flight has been smooth and as planned, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said in its livestreaming.
The launch is being closely watched as a test for Japan's space development after H3 failed in its debut flight last March. JAXA and its main contractor, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, have been developing H3 as a successor to its current mainstay, H-2A, which is set to retire after two more flights.
The H3 rocket, the country's first new medium-lift launcher in three decades, is designed to put government and commercial satellites into orbit and ferry supplies to the International Space Station.
The government plans to launch about 20 satellites and probes with H3 rockets by 2030.
(With input from agencies)