TOKYO, Japan: Japan’s space agency announced the successful launch of its new flagship rocket on Saturday, making the H3 third time lucky after years of delays and two previous failed attempts.
The H3 rocket, which space agency JAXA bills as flexible and cost-effective, “has been launched into orbit,” a JAXA official told AFP.
Developed jointly by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and JAXA, the H3 is the successor to the H-IIA launch system introduced in 2001.
Cheers and applause could be heard from JAXA’s control center after the agency announced live that the rocket’s engines had successfully burned, meaning it had entered orbit.
After previous failures, the H3 ignition system has been improved. This system carries two small satellites.
One of the microsatellites will probably help prevent disasters by taking movies and pictures.
The other is equipped with an infrared beam detection sensor and is expected to detect the operating conditions of factories on the ground.
