MOSCOW, September 17 The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have begun joint development of the first Japanese rocket engine powered by methane, reports Nikkei Asia .
“”The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries plan to develop a methane-fuelled engine for the next generation rocket, the first flight of which is planned for around 2030,” the publication writes.
It is noted that development began this summer. Among other things, developers are creating engine configurations that reduce the weight and cost of the rocket as a whole.
According to the publication, the Japanese government intends to launch a next-generation rocket around 2030 to replace the main H-IIA and H3, whose first launch failed in March.
In March, JAXA apologized for the failure to launch the new H3 rocket, the flight of which had to be aborted after experts could not confirm the successful launch of the second stage engine.
