Japan Spy Satellites Fail to Reach Orbit
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2003 11:36 am
Japan Spy Satellites Fail to Reach Orbit Sat Nov 29, 6:08 AM ET By AUDREY McAVOY, Associated Press Writer
TOKYO - A Japanese rocket carrying two spy satellites for monitoring North Korea (news - web sites) failed to reach orbit Saturday and had to be destroyed, space officials said, a blow to Japan's space program.
The launch of the H2-A rocket had been delayed three times since Sept. 10 because of technical glitches.
Japan's space agency JAXA said one of the two rocket boosters had malfunctioned, making it impossible for the rocket to obtain sufficient height and speed to reach orbit. That prompted the space agency to order the rocket blown up 10 minutes after liftoff.
"There was no chance of the mission being accomplished, so we destroyed the rocket," JAXA President Shuichiro Yamanouchi told a news conference.
"It is extremely regrettable we failed this important mission," Yamanouchi said, bowing deeply. "We are very sorry."
The agency set up a team of engineers and executives to investigate what caused the failure.
Saturday's launch was kept under tight security, with the usual live film coverage of the liftoff banned because of the sensitivity of the payload.
Tokyo sent its first two spy satellites into space in March as part of a $2 billion surveillance project to keep watch on North Korea's missile and nuclear programs. The move prompted protests from Pyongyang, which warned Tokyo against triggering a regional arms race.
Japanese officials say the program was prompted by North Korea's surprise test launch of a long-range missile over Japan's main island in 1998.
The satellites, the officials say, are not meant as a provocation and would also be used for other missions such as monitoring natural disasters and weather patterns.
Saturday's failure will likely complicate Japan's space ambitions.
"It's very unfortunate, as our country needs to boost intelligence capability to increase readiness for natural disasters and secure national security," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said in a statement. "We will quickly, strictly and thoroughly study the cause and consider what further actions to take."
The government had planned to put eight spy satellites in orbit through 2006.
The satellites have faced criticism at home from those who fear they go against a long-standing policy of conducting only nonmilitary space missions.
Japan had also hoped that the H2-A, meant to be a cheaper and more reliable replacement for its predecessor, the H-2, would boost the country's commercial launch business. But it is still seen as too expensive to compete with European, Russian and American rivals.
Prior to the aborted mission, the two-stage H2-A, developed at a cost of $78 million, had five straight successful launches since its first launch in August 2002.
But analysts say Japan may need as many as six successful back-to-back launches before it wins insurance coverage for commercial missions.
The H2 had also performed flawlessly five times in a row before misfiring on its sixth launch and blowing up on its seventh. The snafus prompted U.S.-based Hughes Space and Communications International to drop an order for 10 satellite launches with Japan.
The H2-A has not yet carried any commercial payloads. Last December, it carried its first international payload, when it lifted off with an Australian research satellite.
TOKYO - A Japanese rocket carrying two spy satellites for monitoring North Korea (news - web sites) failed to reach orbit Saturday and had to be destroyed, space officials said, a blow to Japan's space program.
The launch of the H2-A rocket had been delayed three times since Sept. 10 because of technical glitches.
Japan's space agency JAXA said one of the two rocket boosters had malfunctioned, making it impossible for the rocket to obtain sufficient height and speed to reach orbit. That prompted the space agency to order the rocket blown up 10 minutes after liftoff.
"There was no chance of the mission being accomplished, so we destroyed the rocket," JAXA President Shuichiro Yamanouchi told a news conference.
"It is extremely regrettable we failed this important mission," Yamanouchi said, bowing deeply. "We are very sorry."
The agency set up a team of engineers and executives to investigate what caused the failure.
Saturday's launch was kept under tight security, with the usual live film coverage of the liftoff banned because of the sensitivity of the payload.
Tokyo sent its first two spy satellites into space in March as part of a $2 billion surveillance project to keep watch on North Korea's missile and nuclear programs. The move prompted protests from Pyongyang, which warned Tokyo against triggering a regional arms race.
Japanese officials say the program was prompted by North Korea's surprise test launch of a long-range missile over Japan's main island in 1998.
The satellites, the officials say, are not meant as a provocation and would also be used for other missions such as monitoring natural disasters and weather patterns.
Saturday's failure will likely complicate Japan's space ambitions.
"It's very unfortunate, as our country needs to boost intelligence capability to increase readiness for natural disasters and secure national security," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said in a statement. "We will quickly, strictly and thoroughly study the cause and consider what further actions to take."
The government had planned to put eight spy satellites in orbit through 2006.
The satellites have faced criticism at home from those who fear they go against a long-standing policy of conducting only nonmilitary space missions.
Japan had also hoped that the H2-A, meant to be a cheaper and more reliable replacement for its predecessor, the H-2, would boost the country's commercial launch business. But it is still seen as too expensive to compete with European, Russian and American rivals.
Prior to the aborted mission, the two-stage H2-A, developed at a cost of $78 million, had five straight successful launches since its first launch in August 2002.
But analysts say Japan may need as many as six successful back-to-back launches before it wins insurance coverage for commercial missions.
The H2 had also performed flawlessly five times in a row before misfiring on its sixth launch and blowing up on its seventh. The snafus prompted U.S.-based Hughes Space and Communications International to drop an order for 10 satellite launches with Japan.
The H2-A has not yet carried any commercial payloads. Last December, it carried its first international payload, when it lifted off with an Australian research satellite.