Mitsubishi Heavy Strives to Launch Six H3 Rockets Annually
Japan's next generation "H3" rocket, carrying the advanced optical satellite "Daichi 3", leaves the launch pad at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, southwestern Japan on March 7, 2023.
Source: AFP/Getty Images
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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. plans to eventually use its H3 rocket as many as six times a year to launch heavy payloads into orbit, the company told reporters Wednesday.
The H3 has yet to launch successfully. While it was supposed to make its inaugural voyage in February, a system malfunction kept it grounded. A second attempt weeks later ended dramatically when it was ordered to self-destruct, forcing the rocket and the satellite it carried to fall into the Philippine Sea.