Japan's H3 Rocket Loses 5-Ton Satellite During Launch, Leaving Investigators Baffled
A catastrophic failure occurred during the launch of Japan's H3 rocket, which was carrying a 5-ton navigation satellite into space. The satellite, known as Michibiki 5, was expected to reach an orbit over 20,000 miles above the Earth, but it never made it.
According to officials from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the H3 rocket's second stage separated from the satellite about four minutes into the flight, releasing a shower of debris surrounding the spacecraft. Sensors on the rocket detected sudden accelerations around the attachment point connecting the spacecraft with the top of the launch vehicle.
The investigation has revealed that something went wrong when the rocket released its payload shroud. The satellite started wobbling and leaning shortly after fairing separation, and it eventually fell back to Earth in the Pacific Ocean, along with the H3's first stage.
The fault tree analysis presented by JAXA shows which potential causes engineers have ruled out, and which ones remain under investigation. These include the possibility of an impact or collision between part of the payload fairing and the Michibiki 5 satellite or its mounting structure, residual strain energy in the connection between the satellite and the rocket being suddenly released at the moment of fairing separation, and potential leakage of combustible propellants, high-pressure gases, and pyrotechnics.
The H3 rocket has a record of six successful launches in eight flights, but this latest incident brings its failure rate to two out of eight. The agency must complete the investigation into the cause of this failure within months to clear the rocket for launch on Japan's Martian Moons Exploration mission, which is set for October and requires precise timing.
A catastrophic failure occurred during the launch of Japan's H3 rocket, which was carrying a 5-ton navigation satellite into space. The satellite, known as Michibiki 5, was expected to reach an orbit over 20,000 miles above the Earth, but it never made it.
According to officials from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the H3 rocket's second stage separated from the satellite about four minutes into the flight, releasing a shower of debris surrounding the spacecraft. Sensors on the rocket detected sudden accelerations around the attachment point connecting the spacecraft with the top of the launch vehicle.
The investigation has revealed that something went wrong when the rocket released its payload shroud. The satellite started wobbling and leaning shortly after fairing separation, and it eventually fell back to Earth in the Pacific Ocean, along with the H3's first stage.
The fault tree analysis presented by JAXA shows which potential causes engineers have ruled out, and which ones remain under investigation. These include the possibility of an impact or collision between part of the payload fairing and the Michibiki 5 satellite or its mounting structure, residual strain energy in the connection between the satellite and the rocket being suddenly released at the moment of fairing separation, and potential leakage of combustible propellants, high-pressure gases, and pyrotechnics.
The H3 rocket has a record of six successful launches in eight flights, but this latest incident brings its failure rate to two out of eight. The agency must complete the investigation into the cause of this failure within months to clear the rocket for launch on Japan's Martian Moons Exploration mission, which is set for October and requires precise timing.
so another rocket fails, who'd've thought? i mean, it's not like jaxa just spent billions on a new launcher or anything 
. seriously though, 5 tons of satellite lost in space... that's some serious cash down the drain. and now they gotta scramble to figure out what went wrong before their next mission, which is like trying to solve a complex math problem while simultaneously running from a laser beam 
. hope jaxa gets it together soon, or we'll be hearing about more "successful" launches that end in spectacular failures 
. I mean, Japan's got a solid space program, but it looks like they're not doing enough to ensure these rockets are reliable. Two out of eight launches isn't exactly the kind of performance you want to brag about 
. And now this expensive satellite is just floating in the Pacific... what a waste of taxpayer dollars 
! I'm starting to wonder if JAXA's got the right people in charge, or if they're just too focused on meeting deadlines and ignoring the bigger picture 
. This should be a wake-up call for them to take a closer look at their processes and make some changes before it's too late 
.
... cant believe such a massive satellite just lost in space... its like jaxa invested so much time and resources into this mission... hope the investigation finds out whats really wrong with those rockets 
... I mean, what's going on with JAXA? They've got a solid record of success, but this latest failure is just frustrating 
. Losing a 5-ton satellite during launch is huge, and now they're racing against time to figure out what went wrong 
. The investigation has some potential causes, but it's too early to say for sure... I hope they get to the bottom of this and can still make that Mars mission happen 
. Can't we just have one successful launch without a hitch? 
This thing is a nightmare! Can't believe that 5-ton satellite just went flying outta control...like what even happened? 
was this some kind of mechanical failure or did they just mess up the launch prep? 
also, how do you even release a whole shroud and have it just wobble around like that? 
it's so crazy that it crashed into the Pacific! 
I mean, I get it, space launches are complicated and all, but come on... 
! I mean, 5 tons of weight just disappeared into space? It's crazy! As a student who loves learning about physics and engineering, this incident really got me thinking. What could have caused that to happen? Was it something with the fairing separation or maybe a malfunction in the rocket's systems? 
And honestly, I'm kinda worried about their Martian Moons Exploration mission now... October has to be a big launch date if they're gonna make it on time! 
especially with the martian moons mission in october, that's when they really need this rocket to work. hopefully they can figure out what went wrong soon 
. i mean, six successful launches in a row wasn't enough for the H3 rocket? 
.
. was it a faulty design or maybe some technical issue with the payload shroud? 
cuz dey hav so many succussful launchez 
2 outta 8 is kinda low even 4 japans stds 
. I'm thinking what could have possibly caused that? It sounds like a tiny mistake turned into a major disaster 
.
. The investigation is still ongoing, which is good, but also kind of frustrating because we want answers now 
. They've had some good success with this rocket before, after all 
. It's just another reminder that even with all our tech wizardry, there's still a lot we don't understand about space travel 
That's gotta be some major mistake on their part. The fact that the rocket's second stage separated from the satellite too early is not surprising, though - I've seen vids of H3 rockets and those stages have to be super precise. But fairing separation issues are a bit more complex than just "oops". Maybe they shoulda tested the payload shroud before launch? 
it's gotta be some kinda pressure thingy or something... propellant leakage sounds like a pretty big possibility to me 
. And it's not like they've had that many problems before either... two failures in eight attempts isn't great but you'd think that would give them a clue 
. I mean they've got some good suspects like fairing separation and propellant leaks but without more info it's hard to say for sure 
! I'm sure the engineers are going over everything with a fine-tooth comb trying to figure out what went wrong, but come on, can't they just get this launch right? The Martian Moons Exploration mission is counting on them and now we're talking months before they can even attempt another launch