Liquid fuel engines supplied by Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries carried Japan's H-IIA rocket aloft on August
29. The 53-meter-tall rocket lifted off at 4 p.m. from the
Tanegashima Space Center, which occupies a small island in
southern Japan. Its first-stage engine ignited flawlessly,
followed a moment later by the solid-fuel boosters.
Less than two minutes after liftoff, the
H-IIA shed its solid-fuel boosters on schedule over the Pacific.
About four-and-a-half minutes later, the first stage separated
from the rocket, and the second-stage engine kicked in to
power the rocket beyond the earth's atmosphere and into space.
About 40 minutes after liftoff, the rocket released a test
satellite more than 1,860 kilometers above the earth.
The successful maiden launch for the H-IIA
has revived Japan's space program. Prospects for the program
were in doubt after a pair of launch failures with the H-IIA's
predecessor, the H-II. Japan's National Space Development
Agency (NASDA) and its contractors were under tremendous pressure
to produce a successful rocket. Now, the H-IIA has established
Japan as a credible supplier of commercial launch services.
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