Japan will delay an H2A rocket launch scheduled for May to August or later, the country's space agency said Friday, due to it sharing parts with its successor rocket that was forced to self-destruct shortly after takeoff in March.
No new launches are currently planned after a series of setbacks for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, including the next-generation H3 rocket's failure and that of the smaller Epsilon-6 in October, which was ordered to self-destruct after deviating from its intended trajectory shortly after takeoff.
Sources familiar with the matter said that the H2A rocket, currently planned to remain in service until its 50th launch, could be affected, if work to ascertain the cause of the H3 failure becomes protracted.
The H2A rocket has a reputation for reliability, with the 46th launch in January marking its 40th consecutive successful mission.
The launch, originally set for May, is to be the 47th for the H2A rocket, and was to carry the JAXA-developed SLIM lunar lander.
With the launch intended to test technology for accurate landings on the Moon, the sources said, the launch will need to take place from August onward to ensure the craft can enter an orbit for reaching its surface.
The agency has said that Japan's H3 rocket, which failed on its inaugural launch in March, is likely to have malfunctioned due to excessive electrical current inside the launcher's second-stage engine cutting off the power.
The H2A and the H3 share components in their second-stage engines.
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