JAXA Aborts H3 Rocket Launch Due to Equipment Anomaly

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, aborted the launch of an H3 rocket on Wednesday after detecting a ground equipment anomaly. According to JAXA, the launch was halted just before the rocket’s scheduled liftoff at 11:11 a.m. from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan. JAXA said at a press conference that it detected an anomaly in the cooling water injection system around the launch pad about 16.8 seconds before liftoff. The rocket was to carry the Michibiki No. 5 satellite, which will be part of the Japanese version of GPS. Japan hopes to use seven Michibiki satellites to enable round-the-clock monitoring that does not rely on data from the United States and other countries by the end of this fiscal year. The Michibiki No. 6 satellite was launched in February this year from the space center on the island of Tanegashima, ahead of the No. 5 satellite. The launch of the seventh Michibiki satellite is scheduled for February next year. The maiden launch of the H3 rocket, developed by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., ended in failure in March 2023. It has since achieved five consecutive successful launches. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]