Japan destroys rocket over ignition failure minutes after launching
The rocket took off from southern Japan before it was destroyed
Japan destroyed its own rocket shortly after lift-off, citing problems with its ignition that gave it no hope of completing its mission.
Coming three weeks after an aborted launch due to a separate glitch, the new H3 rocket’s failure was a setback for Japan’s space programme – and possibly for its missile detection.
The rocket blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Centre in southern Japan as fans and local residents cheered.
It followed its planned trajectory and the second stage separated as designed, but the ignition for it failed, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said.
JAXA officials apologised for the failure, and said it sent a command to destroy the rocket about 14 minutes after lift-off as there was no hope for it.
Yasuhiro Funo, JAXA director for launch implementation, said the second stage and its payload fell into the deep sea off the eastern coast of the Philippines.
He said the rocket, which was not going to enter the targeted orbit while carrying a lot of fuel, was unsafe and had to be destroyed.
No damages or injuries were reported from the destruction of the rocket or its falling debris.
The rocket was carrying an Advanced Land Observation Satellite, or ALOS-3, tasked primarily with Earth observation and data collection for disaster response and mapmaking.
An experimental infrared sensor developed by the Defence Ministry that can monitor military activity including missile launches was also fitted.
There is no plan for an alternative satellite launch to replace the earlier generation of ALOS, said Katsuhiko Hara, Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology minister.
He did not say if or how the delay could affect disaster and missile detection capability.
The failure is the second in six months since a smaller rocket designed to launch scientific satellites failed in October.
The H3 launch had also been held up more than two years because of an engine development delay.
During a launch attempt in February, an electrical glitch after the main engine ignition aborted the launch just before its lift-off and narrowly saved the rocket.
Further delay is expected, but JAXA officials said analysing the malfunction and rebuilding trust comes first.
“Our top priority is to do everything we can to find the cause and regain the trust in our rockets,” said JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa at a joint news conference. “We need to figure out what we should do to successfully achieve the next launch.”
The H3 rocket – Japan’s first new series in more than 22 years – was developed at a cost of 200 billion yen (£1.22 billion) by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a successor to Japan’s H-2A rocket, which is due to retire after its upcoming 50th launch.
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