Tokyo, 5 September, /AJMEDIA/
Japan’s space agency aims to launch a new flagship H3 rocket within fiscal 2022, after its first flight was postponed twice due to the discovery of defects.
The problems, such as with the rocket’s engine, have been solved through steps including a change in its design, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said, allowing for the launch of the first H3 rocket, which was originally scheduled to take off in fiscal 2020.
The H3 rocket, which has been under development by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, is set to succeed the current H2A launch vehicle.
The rocket is being developed so that Japan can maintain its autonomous access to space in terms of launching satellites and probes, according to JAXA.
The agency had delayed the launch after a test conducted on the H3 rocket’s main engine found holes on the wall of a combustion chamber as well as a defect in a turbine that feeds fuel to the chamber.
Project manager Masashi Okada told an online press conference that JAXA would conduct tests on the engine from this month, assuming the rocket would take off from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, and based on the results, decide on the actual launch period.
“I feel like we have finally reached the starting point,” Okada said. “We still have a tough road ahead, so I would like to handle it as though we are going through with the real deal.”
