The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched the H3 rocket on Tuesday and placed a positioning satellite into orbit, marking the second successful launch of Japan's flagship rocket after last December's failure, UNN reports, citing Kyodo.
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H3 rocket No. 9 lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima, a small island in southwestern Japan, early Tuesday, carrying the Michibiki No. 7 positioning satellite, which is part of the country's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System used to provide location information for smartphones and vehicle navigation.
The launch, initially scheduled for last Friday, was postponed to Monday because of a passing typhoon and then delayed by another day due to unfavorable weather conditions around the launch site.
Last December, the agency launched Michibiki No. 5 aboard an H3 rocket but failed to place the satellite into orbit, delaying the subsequent launch of positioning satellite No. 7, which had been scheduled for February.
Five Michibiki satellites currently provide positioning services. The government aims to have seven such satellites in orbit to ensure a full range of services without relying on any other countries.
The H3 became Japan's flagship rocket after its highly reliable H2A rockets, which served as the country's primary launch vehicles for more than two decades.
But so far, the H3's track record has been mixed. Following the failure of H3 rocket No. 8 in December, JAXA sought to correct the problem and successfully launched another H3 rocket in June, placing several miniature satellites into orbit.
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