Japan postpones ‘Moon Sniper’ liftoff for third time

Japan’s space company on Monday postponed for the third time the launch of its “Moon Sniper” lunar mission resulting from poor climate.

The H2-A rocket resulting from blast off from the southern island of Tanegashima was additionally carrying a analysis satellite developed with NASA and the European Area Company.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Company (JAXA) gave no new date for the beginning of the mission, which comes after India efficiently landed a probe on the Moon final week.

MHI Launch Providers, the rocket co-developer, stated on the social media platform X that the mission was referred to as off “as a result of it was confirmed that the higher wind doesn’t fulfill the constraints at launch”.

Final week India landed a craft close to the Moon’s south pole, a historic triumph for the world’s most populous nation and its low-cost space program.

Beforehand, solely the USA, Russia and China had managed to place a spacecraft on the lunar floor, and none on the south pole.

India’s success got here days after a Russian probe crashed in the identical area, and 4 years after a earlier Indian try failed on the final second.

Japan has additionally tried earlier than, trying final 12 months to land a lunar probe named Omotenashi, carried on NASA’s Artemis 1, however the mission went incorrect and communications had been misplaced.

In April, Japanese start-up ispace failed in an bold try and change into the primary personal firm to land on the Moon, dropping communication after what the agency referred to as a “onerous touchdown”.

The “Moon Sniper” is so referred to as as a result of JAXA is aiming to land it inside 100 metres (330 ft) of a selected goal on the Moon, far lower than the same old vary of a number of kilometers.

Japan has additionally had issues with launch rockets, with failures after liftoff of the next-generation H3 mannequin in March and the usually dependable solid-fuel Epsilon the earlier October.

© 2023 AFP