bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Bloomberg

The second launch of Japan’s flagship rocket went smoothly as it carried a satellite toward low-Earth orbit.
The H3 heavy payload vehicle took off with no crew aboard shortly after noon local time from Tanegashima Space Centre.
“We have a successful lift-off,” Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) commentators said during a live broadcast.
The rocket, which had its first mission early this year, was carrying the Advanced Land Observing Satellite, or ALOS-4, which is equipped with radar technology used to monitor weather and natural disasters. ALOS-4 was delivered to low-Earth orbit roughly 16 minutes after take-off, JAXA said.


The H3 doesn’t yet have the track record to promise clients a timely and cost-effective alternative for clients looking to reach orbit. But it could be the island nation’s best chance at competing in a crowded field dominated by heavy hitters like SpaceX.
The 63-metre-tall single-use, heavy payload vehicle was manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
Its predecessor successfully launched 47 out of 48 times over the past two decades, according to JAXA, but only two of the previous rockets remain, meaning the old guard will pass on the mantle very soon.
“The H3 needs to carry on that legacy,” JAXA Director Hiroshi Yamakawa told reporters earlier this month at a press conference in Tokyo. “We need to demonstrate that it can deliver payloads to orbit on time and with great accuracy.”
The agency has suffered a series of costly blunders and major setbacks, starting with the explosion of its smaller Epsilon rocket in late 2022.
JAXA attempted to launch the H3 in March 2023 but a system failure between the side booster and main engine forced operators to transmit a self destruct code, sending the rocket and the satellite it carried into the Philippine Sea.
After an inquest that took nearly a year, the H3 made its inaugural mission in February with a dummy satellite.
At ¥5 billion (US$32.6 million), the target cost of launching the H3 is roughly half of that of its predecessor, according to JAXA. The true cost will be determined by demand and supply.




JAXA’s goal is to launch its single-use rockets six times a year. That would be just a fraction of missions by SpaceX, which had nearly 100 launches of its reusable rockets in 2023.
However, the agency isn’t aiming to dethrone SpaceX, said Shinichi Kimura, director of the Tokyo University of Science’s Research Centre for Space System Innovation.
“Demand has outstripped supply, and there are too many companies out there looking to launch something into space than SpaceX alone can handle,” Kimura said.
Japan also hopes H3 rockets can win customers from a new generation of domestic companies that can vie with global leaders in the commercial space industry.
JAXA will start accepting applications in July for ¥1 trillion (US$6.5 billion) in funding over the next 10 years that will target prominent startups and academic institutions.
Additional reporting by Kyodo


Japan wants ‘China to behave responsibly’, new foreign minister says

Hong Kong stocks surge; BlackRock turns ‘modestly overweight’ on China shares

Japan braces for dual typhoons as 1 in 5 face flooding risk, study reveals

India rejects Japan’s call for ‘Asian Nato’, despite growing tensions with China

Japan

Japan launches flagship H3 rocket, boosting its comeback in space

The H3 rocket lifting off from Tanegashima Space Centre. Photo: Kyodo

China’s Space Pioneer blames massive rocket-test crash on structural failure

The rocket crashes in hills outside Gongyi in Henan province on Sunday afternoon. Photo: Weibo

The rocket crashed on the ground on its side. Photo: Weibo

The Tianlong-3 has nine engines. Photo: Weibo

Space Pioneer says the rocket was undergoing a static-fire test when it took off and crashed near Gongyi in Henan province on Sunday. Photo: Weibo

Hong Kong to step up funding for city’s research teams in national space missions

A Hongkonger is among 10 newly chosen to be astronauts for the country’s space programme. Photo: Xinhua

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong says the Hong Kong astronaut will engage in science outreach activities for young people while in space. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

SpaceX wins US$843 million to help Nasa destroy International Space Station

The International Space Station’s ageing components have led Nasa and its foreign partners to set 2030 as a planned retirement date. Photo: Nasa via AFP

China-France satellite launched to monitor most powerful explosions in space

This mission lifts off on Saturday afternoon in Sichuan. Photo: AFP

This mission will study gamma-ray bursts and other high energy phenomena. Photo: SVOM collaboration

China calls the US a ‘competitor’ in moon race for first time, from a position of strength

Just weeks after China’s Chang’e-6 probe landed on the far side of the moon, the Chinese space agency has acknowledged it is in a moon race with the US. Photo: CNSA

China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe, which made news around the world, was the first human craft ever to land on the far side of the moon when it touched down earlier this month. Photo: Reuters

News

Asia

East Asia

Japan launched an advanced Earth observation satellite on its new H3 rocket


The second launch of Japan’s H3 rocket went smoothly as it carried a satellite toward low-Earth orbit.


Space