[HIGHLIGHTS] In Japan, successful takeoff for the new H3 rocket

The Japanese H3 rocket took off as planned at 9:23 a.m. local time from the Japanese space base in Tanegashima, in the southwest of the Japanese archipelago.

This success comes after that of SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon), a small Jaxa machine which managed to land precisely on the Moon last month. An imposing launcher 63 m high and 574 tonnes excluding payload, the H3 is supposed to allow Japan to carry out space flights up to six times a year.