JAXA mission onboard Japan’s H3 rocket fails at second stage

Japan’s space mission onboard the H3 rocket on Monday suffered failure at the second stage after lift-off. It is the H3-24L from the same H3 series of heavy life-off rockets which will launch the Chandrayaan-5 planned sometime in 2028-2029.

Also known as Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX), the Chandrayaan-5 mission is being jointly developed by ISRO and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It will study the volatile materials, lunar water in the vicinity of a Permanently Shadowed Region (PSR) in the lunar south pole. Chandrayaan-5 will carry an ISRO-made lunar lander and the rover is being developed by Japan.

Japan is developing the H3 series of rockets meant for carrying the heaviest payloads into space.