InsiderBLM Asia
On March 6, Japan will attempt a second launch of its brand-new flagship rocket.
The weather at the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan will ultimately determine whether the launch occurs as scheduled in the morning, according to Masashi Okada, project manager of the H3 rocket development team.
The H3, a 63-meter-tall rocket that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. designed and built over the course of a decade, was unable to launch on February 17 because a problem with the main engine prevented an ignition signal from reaching the side booster. Okada claimed that an investigation had been done to determine the precise cause of the malfunction.
As Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, continues to develop next-generation rockets that can be remotely landed and reused, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is vying for a piece of the expanding global space market.
We sincerely hope that this launch is successful, said Okada.
Separately, as the nation takes a giant step toward its ambitions to reach the moon, JAXA earlier this week selected a 28-year-old surgeon and a 46-year-old banker to become its first new astronauts in more than a decade.
