On Monday, Japan launched its main H3 launch vehicle, successfully sending an Earth observation satellite into orbit. This was an important step towards achieving the goal of turning the H3 into a commercial launch vehicle and competing in the global market. Nikkei Asia writes about it, UNN reports.
Details
Japan's space agency, known as JAXA, launched a two-stage hydrogen rocket from the Tanegashima Cosmodrome, located about 1,000 kilometers northwest of Tokyo.
The rocket launched a 3-ton radar satellite, Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4 or ALOS-4, into sun-synchronous orbit.
The ALOS-4 satellite was reportedly developed for $200 million to replace the outdated ALOS-2 radar satellite.
This is the second successful launch of H3, which we have been working on for 10 years
During the first flight on March 7, 2023, the second stage of the H3 failed to ignite, forcing JAXA to abandon the rocket and its payload, the ALOS-3 optical satellite worth 28 billion yen.
On February 17 this year, H3 made its first successful flight during its second launch.
Japan is expected to launch at least five missiles - three H3s and two H2As - by March next year. The H2A has been Japan's main launch vehicle since 2001 and is due to be decommissioned in 2024.