The Japanese Aerospace Agency announced on Tuesday that it had decided to postpone the launch of a new H3 rocket that was scheduled to launch on Thursday due to forecast bad weather at the launch site in southwestern Japan.
The new launch date for the No. 2 H3 rocket, the successor to the current primary H2A rocket, has not yet been set, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Japan hopes to gain a foothold in the increasingly competitive field of satellite launches.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to confirm the missile's ability to control its position and eject satellites through the ongoing launch project at the Tanegashima Space Center.
The new rocket has an improved ignition system and will carry a dummy satellite, matching the weight of the real one loaded on the No. 1 H3 launch vehicle, as well as two small satellites.
A Japanese H3 rocket lifts off from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on March 7, 2023. (Kyodo)
In its inaugural launch in March last year, the No. 1 H3 rocket lifted off from the center on Tanegashima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, but was ordered to self-destruct minutes later after its second stage engine failed to ignite.
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