The takeoff of Japan's H2A Launch Vehicle No. 47, which was scheduled for May, has been pushed back to at least summer, according to multiple government sources.
The decision was made because the H2A mainstay rocket uses the same componentry thought to have malfunctioned in the H3 rocket that failed in its maiden launch last month, the sources said Thursday.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's launch of the small Epsilon-6 rocket in October 2022 also ended in failure, and no timeframe has been set for that rocket's successor to lift off. The delay in the H2A program leaves JAXA in the unusual situation of being unable to launch any of Japan's three main rockets.
