Japan to launch H3 rocket Wednesday after failed attempt in December
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is scheduled to launch an H3 rocket on Wednesday.
The rocket is expected to take off at 9:53:59 a.m. local time from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan. It will be carrying metal structures instead of a satellite.
JAXA says it has corrected the payload support structure which caused its launch in December to fail.
The sixth H3 rocket is a new "Type 30" test vehicle that does not use boosters but has three liquid-fuel main engines in the first stage, one more than in previous models.
After examining weather and other conditions for the launch, JAXA plans to start final preparations on Tuesday night if there is no problem.
The space agency has had a series of launch and combustion test failures in its mainstay rocket program since 2023.