Archive · 23 Dec 2025
Japan's H3 Rocket Fails at Second Stage
Japan had a problem with their big space rocket called H3.
It didn't work right after it took off, especially in the second part of its flight.
This rocket was supposed to help with a future moon mission called Chandrayaan-5, which Japan and India are working on together.
The mission wants to study special places on the moon where there might be water.
The rocket's failure means they'll need to figure out what went wrong before they can try again.
The moon mission is planned for a few years from now, around 2028 or 2029.
Japan's H3-24L rocket failed at the second stage during launch on Monday.
The rocket is part of the H3 series, which includes the one planned for the Chandrayaan-5 mission.
Chandrayaan-5, also known as Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX), is a joint mission by ISRO and JAXA.
The mission aims to study lunar water in Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs) at the lunar south pole.
Chandrayaan-5 is planned for launch between 2028 and 2029, carrying an ISRO-made lander and a Japanese-developed rover.
- Who
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
- What
- Failure of the H3-24L rocket at the second stage during launch
- When
- Monday (exact date not specified)
- Where
- Launch site not specified, but related to Japan's space program
- Why
- Technical failure during the second stage of the launch
- Mission
- H3-24L
- Organizations Involved
- JAXA, ISRO
- Failure Stage
- Second stage
- Planned Mission
- Chandrayaan-5 (LUPEX)
- Study Focus
- Lunar water in Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs) at the lunar south pole
- Planned Launch Window
- 2028-2029
- Lander
- ISRO-made
- Rover
- Developed by Japan