TOKYO, Feb 7 (NNN-NHK) – Japan will postpone the launch of its new flagship rocket, carrying a ground monitoring satellite, due to a problem with its flight system, the country’s space agency announced, yesterday.
The launch will be delayed at least until Feb 15, said the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
It was announced, after a system inspection found the rocket likely would not fly properly, if the launch went ahead as scheduled, local media reported.
JAXA expected the fix for the issue, with its H3 rocket, to take a few days, postponing the debut launch of the H2A rocket’s replacement, for a second time.
On Jan 26, the delayed launch of JAXA’s No.46 H2A rocket, which placed a government intelligence-gathering radar satellite into orbit, pushed back the agency’s initial plan to launch the H3 rocket into space on Feb 12, by one day.
The H3 rocket will be launched from the Tanegashima Space Centre, on Tanegashima Island in Kagoshima, the country’s south-western prefecture.– NNN-NHK
