Rocket Launch

Engine of Japan's new small rocket explodes during a test for 2nd time

The engine for a flagship new small Japanese rocket burst into flames Tuesday during a combustion test, but there was no injury or damage to the outside, officials said. The second failure in a row raises concern about the progress of the Epsilon S rocket, whose debut is expected for next year. The test was conducted inside of the restricted area at Japan's Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is investigating, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters. The fire was followed by an explosion and plumes of white smoke. Tuesday's failure comes just over a year after the explosion last year of the same Epsilon S engine during a test, according to JAXA. Last year's explosion was related to damage to the ignition systems of the engine and JAXA has since taken the necessary steps, the agency has said. Development of flagship rockets such as Epsilon S is extremely important from the perspective of ensuring autonomy of ..

Japan launches defence satellite carried by new flagship H3 rocket

Japan launched a defence satellite designed for information-gathering and military operations on a new flagship H3 rocket on Monday, as the country seeks to build up its military capability amid growing tension in the region. The H3 No. 4 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a southwestern Japanese island. Everything went as planned and the satellite placed at the top of the rocket was successfully separated about half an hour after liftoff, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said in a livestream. JAXA will give further details about the launch later Monday. The rocket is carrying a Defense Ministry satellite, Kirameki No. 3, which uses X-band communication for military operations and reconnaissance, including information-gathering for signs of North Korean missile activity. X-band satellite is less affected by weather conditions and is capable of supporting stable communication. Kirameki No. 3 adds to two earlier X-band satellites already in ...

Iran successfully launches satellite in its programme criticised by West

Iran launched a satellite into space Saturday with a rocket built by the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, state-run media reported, the latest for a program the West fears helps Tehran advance its ballistic missile program. Iran described the launch as the second such launch to put a satellite into orbit with the rocket. Independent scientists later confirmed the launch and that the satellite reached orbit. Footage later released by Iranian media showed the rocket blast off from a mobile launcher. An Associated Press analysis of the video and other imagery later released suggested the launch happened at the Guard's launch pad on the outskirts of the city of Shahroud, some 350 kilometres (215 miles) east of the capital, Tehran. The launch comes amid heightened tensions gripping the wider Middle East over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, during which Tehran launched an unprecedented direct missile-and-drone attack on Israel. Meanwhile, Iran continues to enric

SpaceX to launch billionaire's pvt crew on breakthrough spacewalk mission

An attempt to launch last month was postponed hours before liftoff over a small helium leak in ground equipment on SpaceX's launchpad

SpaceX to launch first Starship to Mars in two years, says CEO Musk

In another post on X, Musk stated that SpaceX created the first fully reusable rocket stage and made the reuse economically viable

First reusable hybrid rocket RHUMI launched by Tamil Nadu space startup

Tamil Nadu-based startup Space Zone India on Saturday launched its first reusable hybrid rocket, Mission RHUMI-2024, onboard a mobile platform to take up research on global warming and climate change. City-headquartered Space Zone India has been conducting various projects under Mission RHUMI over the last two years. The RHUMI rocket launched early in the day at Thiruvidanthai on the scenic East Coast Road near Chennai is powered by a generic-fuel-based hybrid motor and electrically triggered parachute deployer. "It is 3.5 metre tall rocket and was launched at about 7.25 am from the earlier 7am lift off schedule," Space Zone India Founder-CEO Anand Megalingam said. "It is more of a sounding rocket. It flew to an altitude of about 35 kms and right now my team is there to collect it as per our plan (since it is a reusable rocket)," he told PTI. "Compared to an 89 degree inclination, we had launched the rocket with 70 degree inclination due to heavy wind and gusts," he explained on t

20 satellites to 'fall from sky' as SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket malfunctions

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket malfunction, a first in nearly a decade for the Elon Musk-led company, was triggered by a liquid oxygen leak

Japan launches Earth observation satellite on its new flagship H3 rocket

Japan deployed an upgraded Earth observation satellite for disaster response and security after it was launched on a new flagship H3 rocket Monday. The H3 No. 3 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Centre on a southwestern Japanese island and released its payload about 16 minutes later as planned, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said during a livestream. The Advanced Land Observation Satellite, or ALOS-4, is tasked primarily with Earth observation and data collection for disaster response and mapmaking. It's also capable of monitoring military activity, such as missile launches, with an infrared sensor developed by the Defence Ministry. The rocket appeared to fly as planned, and JAXA is expected to give further details at a news conference later Monday. The launch was initially planned for Sunday but was delayed due to bad weather at the launch site. The ALOS-4 is a successor to the current ALOS-2 and can observe a much wider area. Japan will operate both

Chinese rocket Tianlong-3 crashes after accidental launch during test

Incident occurred when the first stage of the Tianlong-3 rocket detached from its launch pad due to a structural failure

Space startup AgniKul rockets into history books with Agnibaan liftoff

Agnibaan SOrTeD uses the world's first single-piece 3D printed engine, designed and built indigenously

Kim Jong Un doubles down on satellite ambitions after failed launch

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged his military scientists to overcome a failed satellite launch and continue developing space-based reconnaissance capabilities, which he described as crucial for countering US and South Korean military activities, state media said on Wednesday. In a speech on Tuesday, Kim also warned of unspecified stern action against South Korea over an exercise involving 20 fighter jets near the inter-Korean border hours before North Korea's failed launch on Monday. Kim called the South Korean response hysterical insanity and a very dangerous provocation that cannot be ignored, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said. Kim visited the North's Academy of Defence Sciences a day after a rocket carrying what would have been his country's second military reconnaissance satellite exploded shortly after liftoff. North Korea's aerospace technology administration said the explosion was possibly related to the reliability of a newly developed rocket engine .

Space startup Agnikul calls off maiden rocket launch for fourth time

Launches of India's second privately built rocket, and first using a combination of gas and liquid fuel, had been aborted three times before because of technical issues

North Korea to launch rocket carrying its 2nd military spy satellite

North Korea on Monday announced plans to launch a rocket apparently carrying its second military spy satellite by early next week, drawing quick, strong rebukes from neighbours South Korea and Japan. The notification of the planned launch, banned under UN resolutions, came as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Seoul for their first trilateral meeting in more than four years. Japan's coast guard said it was notified by North Korea about its planned launch of a satellite rocket", with safety cautioned in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and China and east of the Philippine island of Luzon beginning Monday and running through midnight June 3. North Korea gives Japan its launch information because Japan's coast guard coordinates and distributes maritime safety information in East Asia. North Korea's planned launch likely would be an attempt to put its second military spy satellite into orbit. South Korea

Agnikul puts off launch of Agnibaan sub-orbital rocket for the third time

Chennai-based space start-up Agnikul Cosmos on Sunday called off the maiden launch of its 3D-printed, semi-cryogenic Agnibaan rocket about 92 seconds before lift-off citing some technical issues. Sunday's was the third attempt at the test launch of the Agnibaan Sub-Orbital Technology Demonstrator (SOrTeD) since March 22, when the test flight was first scheduled to be held at the Agnikul Launch Pad at ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. The second attempt at the test launch at 7.45 am on Saturday also could not fructify. On Sunday, the Agnibaan SOrTeD launch was scheduled at 5.30 am but was put off to 7.45 am. "The Agnibaan SOrTeD lift-off was cancelled at T minus 92 seconds," the IIT Chennai incubated start-up said. Agnikul is seeking to conduct India's second private rocket launch, following startup Skyroot Aerospace's November 2022 launch of the Vikram-S sub-orbital rocket. Agnibaan is a customisable, two-stage launch vehicle that can carry a payload of up to 300

'Another milestone': Isro's PSLV accomplishes zero orbital debris mission

ISRO on Monday said its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has accomplished zero orbital debris mission, and described it "another milestone". This was achieved on March 21, when the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) met its "fiery end" through a re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. "The PSLV-C58/XPoSat mission has practically left zero debris in orbit," the space agency said. The PSLV-C58 mission was accomplished on January 1. According to ISRO, after completing the primary mission of injecting all satellites into their desired orbits, the terminal stage of PSLV was transformed into a 3-axis stabilised platform, the POEM-3. The stage was deorbited from 650 km to 350 km, which facilitated its early re-entry, and was passivated to remove residual propellants to minimise any accidental break-up risks, it said. POEM-3 was configured with a total of nine different experimental payloads to carry out technology demonstrations and scientific experiments on the newly ...

Japan's Space One's solid-fuelled Kairos rocket explodes after launch

Space One said the flight was "interrupted" after the launch and was investigating the situation. There was no immediate indication of what caused the explosion

Next stage

Indigenous cryogenic engine lift-off for India's space programme

Ananth Technologies claims crucial role in 55 modules for launch system

For the satellite INSAT-3DS, ATL has supplied complete power control system, solar array generation system, power distribution system, DC-DC power converters, star sensors

Japan's H3 rocket reaches planned trajectory after failed debut last year

A new Japanese flagship H3 rocket lifted off from a space station in southwestern Japan on Saturday, successfully reaching a planned trajectory and releasing one of the two payloads in a key second test flight a year after its failed debut launch. The H3 rocket blasted off from a launch pad at the Tanegashima Space Center on time Saturday morning, two days after its originally scheduled lift-off which was delayed due to bad weather. The rocket's initial flight has been smooth as planned and it successfully released the first of two small payloads, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said. JAXA will have a news conference later in the day to provide further details. Officials are confirming the status of a second satellite. The launch is closely watched as a test for Japan's space development after H3 failed in its debut flight last March. JAXA and its main contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have been developing H3 as a successor to its current mainstay, H-2A, which

History set to be made: India's first pvt launchpad readies for takeoff

Agnibaan is a two stage launch vehicle with the capability to carry up to 100 kilo gram payload to an extent of around 700 km to the lower earth orbit