Japan Aerospace ready to launch H3 rocket this year

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on Tuesday announced to launch its new flagship rocket H3 for paving the way for next-generation transportation technologies.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on Tuesday announced to launch its new flagship rocket H3 for paving the way for next-generation transportation technologies. "Building on the 98.1 per cent success of the H-IIA/B launch vehicle series, Japan is ready to launch this year its new flagship rocket #H3. JAXA (@JAXA_en) & partners are paving the way for next-generation transportation technologies for the #SpaceAge, tweeted Government of Japan.

The H3 launch vehicle is Japan's new flagship rocket aiming at achieving high flexibility, high reliability, and high-cost performance. Its maiden flight is set for Japanese Fiscal Year (JFY) 2020, reported JAXA. H3 will offer several line-ups by the selection of two types of fairings, two or three first-stage engines (LE-9), and zero, two, or four solid rocket boosters (SRB-3) to deal with various payload sizes and orbits.

Its launch capability to the geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) will be the highest ever, exceeding that of the existing H-IIA and H-IIB launch vehicles, reported JAXA. The H-series launch vehicle has been supporting satellite and explorer launch missions as a mainstay large-scale launch vehicle with high reliability.

The H-IIB launch vehicle is a powerful version of H-IIA to open the door to a new possibility for future missions including cargo transport to the International Space Station (ISS), reported JAXA. H3 is under development to be a successor to H-IIA and H-IIB so that Japan can maintain its autonomous access to space to launch satellites and probes including important missions for the government. (ANI)