Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Inc. jointly developed a new main rocket H3 No. 1 on February 17 at the Tanegashima Space Center test launch, but unfortunately failed to lift off as expected, the final launch mission failed because the rocket’s first-class hydrogen-oxygen engine ignited after an emergency shutdown.
According to the latest news, the H3 rocket has been transferred to the launch area again this afternoon and is scheduled to attempt another maiden launch tomorrow (March 7) at 9:37 p.m. Beijing time, carrying the ALOS-3 optical remote sensing satellite, with a launch window of about 6.5 minutes.
According to the investigation, there was a problem with the electrical system supplying power to the H3 core stage engine, which caused the emergency shutdown after ignition. whether the first flight will be successful tomorrow.
Public information shows that the H3 launch vehicle maximum diameter of 5.2 meters, a sun-synchronous orbit capacity of more than 4 tons, a geosynchronous transfer orbit capacity of 7.9 tons, payload than H2A is about 30% larger, but the launch cost is about half of it.
The H3 rocket’s largest configuration (H3-24L) is 63 meters tall, with a takeoff mass of 575 tons (excluding payload), using a solid booster and a liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen engine in the first and second stages.
The LE-9 open expansion cycle liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen engine is a new type of high-performance rocket engine developed by Japan, with a single vacuum thrust of 1,471 kN (about 150 tons) and a vacuum-specific impulse of 422 seconds, which is the world’s leading level.
