Taking another shot with next-gen H3 rocket

Newer model: A file photo of a H-IIA rocket lifting off from Tanegashima island. Japan hopes to cut per-launch costs by half with the H3 rocket. — AFP

TOKYO: Japan will try again this weekend to launch its new flagship rocket, the H3, in a bid to restore its space programme after the booster’s failed inaugural flight last year derailed satellite and planetary exploration plans.

Coupled with the historic “pinpoint” moon landing of its SLIM spacecraft last month, a successful H3 lift-off would demonstrate Japan’s space capabilities to its close ally the United States as a counterweight to China’s military and technological might.