Japan destroys new space rocket mid-flight after engine failure

Japan’s space agency intentionally destroyed a new H3 rocket moments into its launch on Tuesday after the ignition for the second stage of the country's first new rocket series in more than two decades failed.

Coming three weeks after an aborted launch due to a separate glitch, the H3's failure was a setback for Japan’s space programme - and possibly for its missile detection programme - and a disappointment for space fans who were rooting for Tuesday's retrial.

The rocket was carrying an Advanced Land Observation Satellite, tasked primarily with Earth observation and data collection for disaster response and map making, and an experimental infrared sensor developed by the Defense Ministry that can monitor military activity including missile launches.

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The H3 rocket with a white head blasted off and soared into the blue sky from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan as fans and local residents cheered.

It followed its planned trajectory and the second stage separated as planned, but the ignition for it failed, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.

JAXA said it sent a command to destroy the rocket as there was no hope for it to complete its mission.

Officials are investigating the cause of the failure and expected to give early findings at a news conference later Tuesday.

The failure is the second in six months since a smaller Epsilon-series solid-fueled rocket designed to launch scientific satellites failed in October.

The H3 launch had also been delayed for more than two years because of an engine development delay.

During a launch attempt in February, an electrical glitch after the main engine ignition aborted the launch just before its liftoff and narrowly saved the rocket.