TANEGASHIMA (Kagoshima Pref.): The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, successfully launched the second unit of its new H3 rocket carrying two small satellites Saturday.

The second unit lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on the island of Tanegashima in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at 9:22:55 a.m.

While the maiden launch of the H3 rocket last year ended in failure because the first unit’s second-stage engine did not ignite, combustion of the engine in the second unit went smoothly as planned Saturday, allowing the rocket to reach the planned trajectory.

The small satellites also successfully entered orbit.

“The rocket has flown as planned and entered the predetermined orbit,” JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa told a press conference.

The H3 rocket project is undertaken by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.

New liquid fuel engines were introduced in the first-stage engine in order to improve the rocket’s launch capabilities. JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy also worked to cut costs drastically from the preceding H-2A rocket by reducing the number of parts used on the new rocket and actively incorporating off-the-shelf parts.

In the launch of the first unit of the H3 rocket March 7, 2023, the second-stage engine did not ignite due to a power system problem.

JAXA identified three possible causes of the problem and implemented measures to deal with all of them.

The second unit of the H3 rocket was mounted with two small satellites and equipment to check the rocket’s performance.

JAXA initially planned to mount the Daichi-4 Earth observation satellite as well, but it changed the plan following the failure of the first unit’s launch.

The H-2A rocket, put into commission in August 2001, will be retired after the launches of the 49th and 50th units, scheduled for fiscal 2024.

JIJI Press