JAXA Pushes Self-Destruct Button After Epsilon-6 Rocket Launch Goes Wrong

pcmag.com:

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was forced to push the self-destruct button on its latest Epsilon rocket launch after it deviated off course mid-flight.

The Epsilon Launch Vehicle is a small, solid-fuel rocket used to launch scientific satellites. As The Register reports(Opens in a new window), the Epsilon-6 rocket launched on Wednesday from Uchinoura Space Center carrying a payload of 110kg consisting of eight satellites (RAISE-3, QPS-SAR 3, QPS-SAR 4, MAGNARO, MITSUBA, KOSEN-2, WASEDA-SAT-ZERO, and FSI-SAT).

Unfortunately, something went wrong during the separation of the second and third stages. As JAXA explains(Opens in a new window), "we observed that the vehicle’s flight attitude was deviating from the target, and determined that it would be unable to enter the Earth’s orbit as planned."

Roughly 10 minutes into the flight when it was clear the rocket wouldn't reach orbit, JAXA decided to send the self-destruct command. The rocket and its payload blew up over the Pacific Ocean, meaning there was no danger of any debris falling over land and injuring people or property.

JAXA offered its "deepest apology to many people and entities, particularly local organizations and those related to the payload satellites, who had high expectations for this project." A "special task force" has been setup to find out what caused the deviation during the separation, which will be headed up by JAXA president Hiroshi Yamakawa.

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