Japan successfully launched its new H3 rocket from a space centre on a southwestern island on Saturday, nearly a year after an unsuccessful attempt raised concerns about the country’s space industry ambitions.
Kyodo News reported that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency stated that H3 rocket No. 2 reached its planned orbit, deploying a dummy satellite and two operational microsatellites. The launch took place at 9:22 a.m. from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, according to WAM.
The H3 launch vehicle, anticipated to succeed Japan’s current primary H2A rocket, is likely to be utilised for transporting supplies and materials to the International Space Station and the Gateway, a lunar-orbiting outpost planned within the U.S.-led Artemis space programme.
