Japan’s next generation H3 rocket, carrying the advanced optical satellite Daichi 3, left the launchpad at the Tanegashima Space Center in the Kagoshima Prefecture on 7 March. The rocket failed shortly after lift off with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) issuing a self-destruct command due to the second stage engine apparently failing. H3 has been proposed as a possible competitor to SpaceX’s Falcon 9.