A Mitsubishi Heavy Industries staff member stands next to the top of the first stage of a H3 rocket, inside the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works Tobishima Plant in Tobishima, Aichi prefecture Thursday, March 21, 2024. – Japan’s space agency and its prime contractor said Thursday they hope to be able to forge a profitable launch business with their new H3 rocket after its first successful flight last month in an increasingly competitive market dominated by Space X.
An H3 rocket successfully reached orbit and released two small observation satellites on Feb. 17 following a failed debut launch last year in which the second-stage engine did not ignite. The H3 is designed to carry larger payloads than the H-2A at about half its launch cost, or about 50 billion yen , to be globally competitive.