The first H3 rocket was launched on Tuesday, but the mission ended in failure as the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) had to transmit a destruct command about 15 minutes after liftoff.
Carried on top of the H3 was the government's advanced land-observing satellite Daichi-3, which is designed mainly to assess damage in the event of disasters. The loss of the satellite will inevitably have an impact on disaster management.
The launch vehicle lifted off around 10:37 a.m. from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. But JAXA could not confirm that the second-stage engine had ignited, so it sent the signal to destroy the rocket.
