JAPAN’s flagship H3 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 9:22 A.M., Japan time.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed that the combustion of the second-stage engine was completed, and the H3 rocket reached orbit as planned.
The rocket was initially scheduled to lift off on Thursday, February 15, but it was postponed due to bad weather.
The new H3 rocket has an improved ignition system and will transport two microsatellites in orbit.
To recall, the inaugural launch of the H3 rocket failed in March 2023 due to engine problems, it was then ordered to self-destruct after the command center determined the mission could not succeed.
This is just among the many H3 rockets that Japan wants to launch in the coming years– as the government has said it plans to launch around 20 satellites and probes by 2030.
