# liquid hydrogen

Japan's H3 Rocket Failure Linked to Fairing Separation Damage, JAXA Says — A Setback for a New Launcher

JAXA’s preliminary probe attributes the December H3 launch failure to damage sustained at the satellite–rocket interface during payload fairing separation, which apparently ruptured a liquid-hydrogen pressurization line and precipitated an early second-stage engine shutdown. The agency says the satellite likely detached prematurely and was lost at sea; further investigation and corrective work are planned, delaying H3’s route to operational reliability.