Japan succeeded in launching the new H3 rocket today, Saturday, bringing its space program back on track after multiple setbacks, including a failed launch attempt last year. The launch also marks the second consecutive success for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) after the "precise" landing of the SLIM spacecraft on the moon last month.
The space agency announced in a live broadcast from the Tanegashima Space Center that the H3 rocket successfully lifted off at 09:22 AM Tokyo time (00:22 GMT) and was "on the right path" with its engines operating properly. The H3, standing at 63 meters tall, is designed to carry a payload of 6.5 tons into space and reduce the cost of each launch to approximately 5 billion yen (33 million dollars), which is half the cost required for launching with the H-IIA rocket. The government plans to launch around 20 satellites and probes using H3 rockets by 2030.
