Japan delays H3 rocket flight over technical issues

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said Friday that it was delaying the maiden flight of its H3 Launch Vehicle rocket, citing a technical problem identified with the new first-stage engine now under development.

JAXA said it would delay the first test flight from the current fiscal year that ends on March 31, to fiscal 2021, and the second test flight by a year to fiscal 2022.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd is a prime contractor for the rocket.