News Excerpt:

Japan's space agency on Saturday successfully launched a second test model of its new flagship rocket H3

About the project:

• The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and primary contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have designed the H3 to replace the two-decade-old H-IIA, hoping that its lower costs and greater payload capacity will help them win launch orders from global clients.
• The H3's first flight in March ended up with ground control destroying the rocket 14 minutes after liftoff because its second-stage engine failed to ignite.

About the H3 Rocket:

• The 63 m (297 ft) H3 is designed to carry a 6.5 metric ton payload into space and reduce per-launch cost to as low as five billion yen ($33 million) by adopting simpler structures and automotive-grade electronics. 
  • By comparison, its predecessor the H-IIA costs about 10 billion yen per launch. H-IIA is retiring after two more launches.
  • The Japanese govt has planned to launch about 20 satellites and probes with H3 rockets by 2030 for domestic use.
• The H3 is scheduled to deliver a lunar explorer for the joint Japan-India LUPEX project in 2025 as well as cargo spacecraft for the U.S.-led Artemis moon exploration program in the future.