Japan’s space agency on Wednesday morning canceled the launch of its eighth H3 rocket carrying the Michibiki No. 5 satellite from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, after an emergency shutdown moments before launch.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a news conference following the cancellation that the rocket automatically underwent an emergency stop after an anomaly was detected in the launch pad’s water-injection cooling system.
JAXA added that the details of the malfunction are still under investigation, and at this point, it is not possible to say when the launch will be rescheduled. The agency also confirmed that no damage has been found to either the H3 rocket itself or the Michibiki No. 5 satellite.