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Japan’s space agency orders H3 rocket to self-destruct as mission fails

The decision was made after the agency’s experts had come to the conclusion that the mission would not succeed
JAXA mission manager Masashi Okada JAXA via AP
JAXA mission manager Masashi Okada
© JAXA via AP

TOKYO, March 7. /TASS/. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) ordered its flagship H3 rocket to self-destruct after its second-stage engine failed to ignite, the agency said during a live broadcast on Tuesday.

The decision was made after the agency’s experts had come to the conclusion that the mission could not succeed.

The rocket, 63 meters tall and 5.2 meters in diameter, blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center earlier on Tuesday following an aborted launch on February 17. The rocket was expected to deliver Japan’s ALOS-3 disaster management land observation satellite to orbit.

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