Japan was forced to destroy a rocket due to a launch failure on Tuesday.
The launch was intended to exhibit the rocket's viability as an alternative to SpaceX's Falcon 9.
On Tuesday, Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) attempted to launch the first medium-lift rocket from Japan in three decades.
- The 187 ft H3 rocket made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was ordered to self-destruct when its second-stage engine failed to ignite after liftoff.
- The explosion destroyed the rocket and its payload, an ALOS-3 land observation satellite that was equipped to detect North Korean missile launches.
- The launch failure came after JAXA was forced to abort an earlier H3 launch attempt last month.
The H3 rocket was billed as a less expensive medium-lift platform than SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9.
- Several countries are working to boost their military capabilities in space amid the war in Ukraine and rising tensions surrounding Taiwan.
- Japan has faced pressure to develop its own space-launch capabilities after losing access to Russian rockets.
- The launch failure is unlikely to be a serious setback for Japan's ambition to develop a domestic space launch industry that provides the country with independent space access.
