Japan Rocket Self-Destructs in Blow to Hopes for Taking on SpaceX
- JAXA sent signal to abort mission soon after liftoff
- Launch vehicle maker Mitsubishi Heavy shares drop on failure
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The inaugural launch of Japan’s next-generation rocket was aborted shortly after takeoff after the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ordered it to self-destruct and plunge into the ocean, dealing a blow to the country’s aspirations to take on Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
JAXA decided to scrap the mission after the H3 rocket’s second-stage engine failed to ignite, the agency said Tuesday. The self-destruct signal was sent to the craft about 19 minutes after it lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, shutting down the engine and forcing the portion carrying a satellite into the Philippine Sea.