The second launch attempt of the flagship H3 rocket will be an important test for the Japanese space market and JAXA
The Japan Space Agency (JAXA) has announced the planned second test launch of its new H3 rocket on Saturday, February 17th. Due to unfavorable weather forecast in southwest Japan, the launch was postponed two days later than originally planned. This decision was made after thunderstorms and strong winds were forecast at the Tanegashima Launch Center.
The H3 missile has been in development by JAXA for over ten years as a successor to the main H-2A missile. The upcoming launch is significant because after the unsuccessful first flight of H3 last March, the rocket was destroyed along with its payload.
The main goal of the second test flight of H3 is to place the rocket on a given trajectory. In addition, JAXA plans to successfully launch two cubesats into orbit.
One of the main additional advantages of H3 is its ability to place larger payloads into Earth orbit at significantly lower costs, which makes it competitive in the global market.
JAXA's previous successes in space exploration contribute to the overall expectation of success. Last month, JAXA achieved the historic achievement of landing its SLIM spacecraft on the Moon, launched aboard an H-2A rocket. The agency also managed to successfully launch a spy satellite into orbit on the 48th H-2A rocket.