Japanese space agency chief apologizes for failed rocket launch

The development has dealt a blow to Japan’s efforts to cut the cost of going into space and compete with US billionaire Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technology (SpaceX) Corporation, according to Reuters news agency.

A live video from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) shows the 57m-tall H3 rocket – Japan’s first new model in about 30 years – unhindered from China. Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture.

But when it came to space, the rocket’s second stage engine failed to ignite. JAXA said the order to self-destruct was sent after about 15 minutes of flight, after officials assessed the missile was unable to complete its mission.

Missile debris fell into the sea off the east coast of the Philippines. There are currently no reports of casualties due to falling debris.

Japan’s Science and Technology Minister Keiko Nagaoka said the government had set up a task force to investigate the “very regrettable” launch failure.

“This development will have a serious impact on space policy and future technological competitiveness of Japan,” said Hirotaka Watanabe, a professor specializing in space policy at Osaka University.

According to Kyodo News, JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa apologized at a press conference for “failing to meet the public’s expectations” in the country, and promised the agency would “do its utmost to find the cause.” of the problem and restore public confidence”.

According to the original plan, the said mission – named Test Flight 1 – will put into orbit the advanced ground observation satellite 3, which is expected to become the main tool of the Japanese government. Edition when disaster management.

This is not JAXA’s first failed launch. JAXA’s smaller Epsilon-6 rocket also received a self-destruct order minutes after launch last October, after it deviated from its intended trajectory.