Japan destroys new H3 rocket after lift-off

Japan has destroyed a new rocket after one of the vehicle's engines failed to ignite.

The 57m H3 rocket lifted off from Tanegashima spaceport on March 7 but received a self-destruct signal from Japan's space agency after a second-stage engine required to take it to its scheduled orbit failed, The National reports.

The failed attempt, which follows an aborted launch last month, represents a big blow to the agency, which had suggested that the rocket made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) could be a cost-effective alternative in a growing global space industry market.

The rocket was carrying the Alos-3, a disaster management land observation satellite equipped with an experimental infrared sensor designed to detect North Korean ballistic missile launches.

A launch broadcast commentator from Japan's space agency said it had been decided that the rocket could not complete its mission, leading to the decision to send the self-destruct command.

Hirotaka Watanabe, a professor at Osaka University and expert in space policy, said that, unlike the previous cancellation and postponement, “this time it was a complete failure”.

“This will have a serious impact on Japan's future space policy, space business and technological competitiveness,” Prof Watanabe said.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has launched and remotely landed its Falcon orbital rockets since 2015.

Japan's H3 rocket has large parts that can be recycled and is more competitively priced, although the rocket cannot be landed and launched again.