Japan’s space agency aborts launch of next-generation H3 rocket after engines failure

Japan’s space agency aborted the inaugural launch of its next-generation H3 rocket on Friday after the auxiliary booster engines failed to ignite, officials said.

The main engine of the rocket, which is carrying an observation satellite and an experimental sensor to detect missile launches, had already ignited when the launch was halted, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.

Okada described it as an aborted launch – not a failure – because it was suspended as a result of safety features that functioned properly.

Still, the unsuccessful launch at the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan was a setback for Japan’s space programme, which suffered an earlier failed launch in October of a smaller Epsilon-series sold-fueled rocket designed to launch scientific satellites.