Japan's new flagship rocket "H3", which was being developed with a plan to launch this year, was found to postpone the launch time in order to take additional measures for the new engine, according to interviews with related parties. I did.
This is the second postponement of the launch of the "H3 rocket".
The "H3 rocket" is Japan's new flagship rocket being developed by JAXA = Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a successor to the H2A, and the first rocket was scheduled to be launched this year.
However, according to the people concerned, the launch was postponed because it was necessary to take additional measures for the new engine.
Initially, the "H3 rocket" was aimed at launch in 2020, but due to a change in the design of the new engine, it has already been postponed for one year and is scheduled to be launched this year, and this is the second postponement. Will be.
The "H3 rocket" has a total length of 63 meters, which is larger than the H2A, and the weight that can be launched into space is about 1.3 times.
For this reason, it will be possible to install a newly developed replenishment machine to deliver supplies to the space station that orbits the moon, and it will also be possible to launch a heavier artificial satellite than before, which is a launch business. We aim to be a rocket that can compete with overseas.
It means that JAXA will hold a press conference soon to explain.