The launch of Japan’s new flagship rocket, the H3 series, has been delayed due to a weather forecast predicting bad conditions at the launch site. The country’s space agency made the decision on Tuesday, as they work to ensure a successful second test flight after the failure of the rocket’s first flight last year.

According to Masashi Okada, the H3 project manager at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), there were forecasts of thunder and strong winds at the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. The launch was originally scheduled for Thursday.

He said the agency will determine a different date for the launch, possibly as soon as Wednesday.

The upcoming launch is seen as a significant trial following Japan’s unsuccessful first flight in March, which resulted in the destruction of the rocket and the advanced land observation satellite, ALOS-3, that it was transporting.

The failure caused disappointment and doubt regarding Japan’s plans for space exploration, especially following the crash of a Japanese spacecraft during an attempted lunar landing in April.

JAXA, along with its primary partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, has addressed and resolved any potential electrical problems that may have caused the second-stage engine of the H3 rocket to fail to ignite. They have also thoroughly practiced for the upcoming second test flight.

“We have faced a turbulent year, but we have implemented all available measures,” stated Okada.

According to Okada, the primary objective is to successfully launch the rocket along its planned path.

JAXA’s goal is to successfully launch the rocket and position the payloads in the designated orbit. However, for this mission, the H3 will carry a mockup of the ALOS satellite, called VEP-4, weighing 2.6 metric tons instead of the actual satellite.

The spacecraft will also transport two small observation satellites. One of these was created by Canon Electronics and has the ability to quickly capture both still and moving pictures. The other was a joint effort between Seiren, other companies, and universities.

The H3 rocket’s launch was delayed for over two years due to an engine development issue. This rocket is Japan’s first new series in 20 years and was created by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at a cost of 220 billion yen (approximately $1.5 billion). It is meant to be a more affordable and globally competitive replacement for Japan’s H-2A, which will soon complete its 50th launch and retire.

The H3 is capable of transporting bigger payloads compared to the H-2A, while only incurring half the launch expenses. It also features a recently designed main engine that runs on hydrogen fuel.

There is a lot of excitement surrounding JAXA’s recent precision moon landing, which was achieved by launching a spacecraft from the H-2A rocket. Many are anticipating that this accomplishment will demonstrate Japan’s ability to compete with the United States and China. Additionally, in January, the 48th H-2A rocket effectively deployed a spy satellite into its intended orbit.

Mayuki Niitsu, the project manager for Mitsubishi’s H3, stated that there is an increasing need for rockets capable of reliably launching satellite constellations.

The speaker expressed their goal of achieving success with the second H3 rocket and demonstrating their abilities to potential customers. They also mentioned that the H3 rocket could be a strong competitor to well-known companies like SpaceX.

Source: wral.com