But as two failed rockets on December 22 demonstrate, the launch process remains as complex as ever.
The first of this week’s two failures came when the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZS-5) aboard its H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center, about 600 miles southwest of Tokyo.
The first part of the rocket’s flight looked good, but the second stage engine’s second ignition failed to start normally and shut down prematurely, JAXA later said. As a result, the QZS-5 was unable to reach its intended orbit, causing the mission to fail.
JAXA is now investigating exactly what went wrong so it can resolve a problem for the next flight.
The launch was the eighth H3 flight overall, but resulted in the second consecutive release of the rocket, creating ongoing technical challenges for the H3 program.
The second accident involved the Hanbit-Nano rocket during the Spaceward mission, managed by South Korean space company Innospace.
The rocket was launched from the Alcântara Space Center in Brazil, marking South Korea’s first commercial attempt to reach orbit.
But shortly after launch, around the time the rocket reached Max Q (the time when it begins to experience the most intense aerodynamic stress), the video feed briefly showed a bright orange glow before going blank. No, that’s never a good sign.
The shipment included five small satellites from Brazil, India and South Korea, for technology development, education and environmental data collection.
The mission had already suffered multiple delays dating back to July, caused by problems with the rocket’s electronic equipment and also with an electric pump.
The disappointing failures demonstrate the technological precision required for a successful rocket launch, where one relatively minor anomaly could potentially bring a mission to an abrupt end.
There was a time when SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket also failed, but over time the company managed to improve its launch and landing systems. With more work and the right engineers, Japanese and Korean missiles should also find a path to greater reliability.
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