Japan’s No. 8 H3 Rocket Launch Ends in Failure

Newsfrom Japan

Science

Dec 22, 2025 17:58 (JST)

Tokyo, Dec. 22 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s launch of its No. 8 H3 rocket on Monday was unsuccessful, failing to send the Michibiki No. 5 positioning satellite into the intended orbit.

The rocket carrying the satellite for the Japanese version of the U.S. Global Positioning System lifted off at 10:51 a.m. from JAXA’s Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, but the combustion of its second-stage engine ended earlier than planned. It is not known whether the satellite separated from the rocket.

The launch failure was the second for the H3 rocket, following the unsuccessful launch of the No. 1 unit in March 2023. The failure of Japan’s mainstay rocket is likely to have a significant impact on the nation’s space development efforts.

“We sincerely apologize for failing to meet your expectations,” JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa told a news conference.

The H3 rocket is a two-stage liquid-fuel rocket. After the launch of the No. 8 H3 rocket, its first-stage engine burned normally and separated. The second-stage engine was scheduled for two firings, but the first firing ended about 27 seconds later than planned amid weak thrust. The second burn stopped immediately after ignition.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Jiji Press