Japan destroys its new H3 rocket shortly after liftoff

The

on Tuesday, following a second stage ignition failure.

"A destroy order has been transmitted to H3 at around 10:52 am (Japan Standard Time), because there was no possibility of mission accomplishment," JAXA explained in a statement.

The H3 took off at 01:37 UTC on March 7 from the Tanegashima space center carrying the Advanced Earth Observation Satellite-3 DAICHI-3 (ALOS-3), dedicated to monitoring natural disasters.

The new H3 is a two-stage rocket that has a height of 63 meters and a mass of 574 tons.

It can carry up to 6.5 tons to geostationary transfer orbit.

The rocket, the first renovation among Japan's space launchers in 20 years, is seen as key to Japan's participation in the next generation of space development, including the US-led lunar exploration program.

It is expected to provide Japan with a foothold in the increasingly competitive satellite launch business, The

newspaper reports .

There was a

, which was halted moments before liftoff because the first stage auxiliary engines failed to engage.

The rocket was originally scheduled to launch at the end of March 2021, but the date

with the newly developed LE-9 first stage engine and replacement of parts after

.

The failure of that smaller rocket meant that last year marked the first time in 18 years that there had not been a single successful launch of a domestically developed rocket in Japan.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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