Japan space agency postpones next-generation H3 rocket launch plans

The maiden flight of Japan's next-generation H3 rocket planned by the end of next March has been postponed because of technical issues detected during an engine test, the country's space agency said Friday.The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency now plans to have the new rocket's first launch take place in fiscal 2021 starting next April, and the second in fiscal 2022. Each rocket will carry a weather satellite.The agency said the eighth test in May this year of LE9, the main engine for the H3 rocket, resulted in a dozen holes on the wall of a combustion chamber and a crack on a turbine that…READ FULL ARTICLE