Japan’s H3 space rocket failed just shortly after the lift-off today. The brand-new rocket failed to ignite its second engine 5 minutes and 27 seconds after the lift-off. Rocket failure was a huge blow to Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency because it was the first medium-lift rocket designed in three decades.
Rocket Destructed Mid-Air
A self-destruct command was sent to the rocket minutes after its lift-off. After experiencing the drop in velocity, the Japanese space engineers were forced to send a self-destruct command to the airborne rocket, destroying it mid-air. The debris of the H3 Space Rocket fell into the ocean east of the Philippines, according to JAXA.
Second Failed Launch
The Japanese Science Minister Keiko Nagaoka said in her statement that the government will investigate the possible causes of the engine failure. Last month, a rocket launch was aborted because the rocket couldn’t lift off the launching pad due to malfunctioning boosters.
