The second H-2A rocket, which is touted as the leading player in Japan's space development at the beginning of the 21st century, was successfully launched last Monday, deploying one of the two probes it was carrying into orbit. Following the successful launching of the first H-2A rocket in August 2001, it seems that the mission again has passed a major test on the road to commercialization.

But coming as it did after the successive failures of the H-2 -- the predecessor of the H-2A -- and the failure of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science's M-5, it will not be easy to restore international confidence in Japanese rockets. For the H-2A to achieve its main goal of participating in the world's commercial satellite-launching business, Japan will have to chalk up a track record of at least five consecutive successes. The H-2A No. 2 rocket is superior to the H-2A No. 1 due to an improvement in the runners on the fuel-supply pump of the first-stage main engine and the addition of four solid strap-on boosters on the engine. By providing solid or liquid booster reinforcements, the rocket has the advantage of being able to handle the launch of large stationary satellites weighing four tons, two more tons than before.

The first and second H-2As were test rockets. The plan now is to launch two or three practical satellites a year, starting with a reconnaissance satellite scheduled to go up this summer. Eleven rocket launchings are scheduled until fiscal 2005, although they do not include any commercial satellites. The cost of launching the H-2A comes to about 8.5 billion yen per rocket -- half that of the H-2. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) boast that the H-2A is also cheaper than similar U.S. and European rockets.