JAXA to test Japan’s first liquid-engine-only large rocket
Japan’s space agency will test a booster-free H3 rocket with a dummy satellite and six small satellites after payload-section modifications.
- Japan's aerospace agency, JAXA, is scheduled to launch an H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Centre on June 10.
- The launch will test a version of the rocket without solid rocket boosters, making it Japan's first large rocket powered solely by a liquid engine.
- This is the first launch attempt following a failed mission in December, with modifications made to the rocket to address the previous failure.
- To test its performance, the rocket will carry a dummy satellite and sensors rather than a large operational satellite.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said Friday (April 24) that it will launch an H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on June 10.
It will be the first launch attempt since a failed effort last December. The rocket is expected to take off between 9.54am and 11.53am.
A low-cost version of the rocket, not equipped with a solid rocket booster, will be used for the launch. It is set to be Japan's first large rocket powered solely by a liquid engine.
As a result, it will not carry a large operational satellite but instead be loaded with a dummy satellite to check performance, along with six small satellites developed by universities and other organizations.
Modifications will be made to the satellite payload section of the rocket as it is considered the factor directly behind the previous launch failure. Sensors will be installed to monitor vibrations and loads during the launch, to verify the investigations into the cause of the failure.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
