JAXA’s H3
Japan’s H3 rocket failed during its first flight on March 6, resulting in the destruction of a very expensive Earth-imaging satellite. A joint project of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, H3 was poised to become the country’s next flagship launch vehicle. That distinction will have to wait, as investigators attempt to figure out why the rocket’s second stage engine failed to ignite.
