2024-02-17 16:49:34
[1/3]The second unit of Japan’s new flagship rocket, H3, was launched at 9:22 a.m. on the 17th. The photo was taken on the morning of February 17th at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture (2024 Jiji Press)
TOKYO (Reuters) – On the morning of the 17th, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the second unit of Japan’s new flagship rocket, H3, and successfully inserted it into the designated orbit. As the global space competition continues to intensify, H3 has fallen far behind its original development plan, and is far ahead of SpaceX in terms of number of successful launches and price. Japan hopes to recover and make a comeback in one year from the failure of the first reactor.
H3 was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 9:22 a.m., and the second-stage engine, which had failed in the first, successfully ignited and burned. A mock satellite and two microsatellites for confirming the performance of the rocket on board were also separated.
At a press conference in the afternoon, JAXA Chairman Hiroshi Yamakawa announced that the aircraft had “flighted according to plan” and entered the designated orbit, adding, “I am relieved that we were able to report these launch results.” Ta. He said, “The purpose of the H3 rocket was to ensure Japan’s independence in space activities and at the same time ensure its international competitiveness, and it was a major step toward that goal.”
Tadashi Okada, development director and JAXA project manager, and Masayuki Niitsu, project manager for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T), opens new tabH3, which is jointly developing the device, also called the launch a “success” and “a perfect score of 100.”
However, Mr. Okada said that he had to make repeated adjustments every time there was a problem during manufacturing, operation, or launch, and said, “It’s still a very difficult situation.The test is now.I want to develop it properly.” Mr. Niitsu also said, “If you look at the data in detail, I think you’ll find a lot of things that are moving slightly different from what you expected in that design, and things that need a little more improvement.” The company said it would like to take measures to improve the stability and reliability of launches.
The H3 is the successor to the current main rocket, the H2A, which boasts a high launch success rate, and has been jointly developed by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries since 2014. The company has invested more than 200 billion yen to transport the country’s satellites into space for observation during disasters, collect weather information, and conduct reconnaissance, as well as to win orders to meet the growing demand for commercial satellite launches around the world. Its main feature is its low launch cost, which under certain conditions will allow it to compete almost evenly with SpaceX, and is aiming for about 5 billion yen, half the price of H2A. It is also scheduled to transport supplies for the U.S.-led lunar exploration program Artemis.
Professor Hiroshi Ogasawara of Tokyo University of Science, a former chief engineer at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, who was also involved in the development of the H3, said, “I feel like I’ve finally reached the starting line.” I think we’ll get a lot of inquiries.”
As space development competition intensifies around the world, the H3 is expected to be the main rocket indispensable for Japan’s space business, but during the first launch in March last year, the second stage engine failed to ignite during the ascent. Failed See more. For this reason, all eyes were on whether the second launch would be successful.
The launch of the first vehicle was originally scheduled for fiscal 2020, but it was repeatedly postponed due to difficulties in developing the main engine. The development plan has also been revised and has been significantly delayed. The first rocket was launched in March 2023, but the second stage engine failed and failed. It took a year to investigate the cause and take measures such as improving the ignition system.
Meanwhile, SpaceX has already successfully completed 61 launches in 2022 and 96 in 2023.
Masayuki Eguchi, executive officer of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, who was present at the press conference, said, “Since we have just started production, we have not yet reached our cost reduction goals.We would like to bring it to a point where we can become competitive with a 10th or 15th unit.” “We want to take advantage of the tailwind from the weaker yen to make our products internationally competitive,” he said. He said he would like to increase production capacity from the current 5-6 aircraft per year to around 10, and increase sales in the space business by 20% to 20% in rocket-related sales.
(Maki Shiraki, reporting assistance: Kantaro Komiya, editing: Nobuhiro Kubo)
Our code of conduct:Thomson Reuters “Principles of Trust”, opens new tab
1708216661
#Successful #launch #rocket #satellite #separated #recovery #year #Reuters