Japan's space agency says its latest rocket launch has failed. The mission was the first Epsilon rocket series to carry commercial satellites.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency says the rocket encountered an abnormality about six-and-a-half minutes after liftoff on Wednesday. It sent a command to the rocket to self-destruct.
The latest model, Epsilon-6, was supposed to have put into orbit eight satellites, two of them commercial.
JAXA developed the Epsilon series as a low-cost launch vehicle for small satellites. The agency successfully launched all five previous Epsilons, beginning with the first model in 2013.
A venture firm in Fukuoka City, iQPS Inc., developed the commercial satellites to capture high-definition images of Earth. Such images are useful for making assessments during disasters. Onishi Shunsuke, president of iQPS, said the failure will "serve as a valuable experience for us" and a motivation to make improvements.
JAXA had been hopeful that a successful launch would lead to new business opportunities. The agency's president, Yamakawa Hiroshi, said accurately identifying the cause of the problem and taking proper measures to respond to it will be important to restore trust in JAXA's rockets.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency says the rocket encountered an abnormality about six-and-a-half minutes after liftoff on Wednesday. It sent a command to the rocket to self-destruct.
The latest model, Epsilon-6, was supposed to have put into orbit eight satellites, two of them commercial.
JAXA developed the Epsilon series as a low-cost launch vehicle for small satellites. The agency successfully launched all five previous Epsilons, beginning with the first model in 2013.
A venture firm in Fukuoka City, iQPS Inc., developed the commercial satellites to capture high-definition images of Earth. Such images are useful for making assessments during disasters. Onishi Shunsuke, president of iQPS, said the failure will "serve as a valuable experience for us" and a motivation to make improvements.
JAXA had been hopeful that a successful launch would lead to new business opportunities. The agency's president, Yamakawa Hiroshi, said accurately identifying the cause of the problem and taking proper measures to respond to it will be important to restore trust in JAXA's rockets.
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Summary
Japan's JAXA reports failure in its first commercial satellite launch via the Epsilon-6 rocket, six-and-a-half minutes post-liftoff. The mission aimed to put eight satellites, including two commercial ones, into orbit. Developed as a low-cost solution for small satellites, the Epsilon series had
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ID: c9c00ae4-55ca-4b5e-a841-5791c3ce6d29
Category ID: nhk
URL: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221013_02/
Date: Oct. 13, 2022
Created: 2022/10/13 07:24
Updated: 2025/12/09 12:48
Last Read: 2022/10/13 07:48