For subscribers

News analysis

Japan’s successful H3 launch breathes new life into battered space sector as rival nations surge ahead

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox

The H3 rocket, co-developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, lifts off at Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, Japan, on Feb. 17, 2024.

The H3 launch vehicle will in future carry into orbit commercial, research, weather monitoring and military reconnaissance satellites.

PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

Follow topic:

A giant leap for a country which last developed a flagship rocket 23 years ago.

That is what experts and the Japanese media are saying about

Japan’s successful launch of its next-generation H3 rocket

on Feb 17, which has breathed new life into its space industry.

See more on