New details have emerged regarding Japan’s H3 rocket failure last month, revealing the strange way its payload—a navigation satellite—was lost prior to reaching its target orbit.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the seventh mission of its H3 rocket on December 21, 2025, carrying the Michibiki 5 satellite. Shortly after liftoff, the rocket’s second-stage engine suffered an anomaly that caused it to shut down prematurely. JAXA officials recently revealed the root cause of the rocket anomaly: The protective cone-shaped covering that encased the satellite, known as a payload fairing, came apart around 4 minutes after launch. As a result, the satellite was left fighting for its life before it inevitably fell back to Earth.
JAXA shared extensive information about the recent anomaly, including this helpful illustration of the payload fairing breaking off from the rocket.
Anomalous anomaly
The rocket business is undoubtedly tricky, and launches fail in all sorts of ways. This incident, however, may be one of the strangest ways a rocket has failed to deliver its payload.
The 207-foot-tall (63-meter) rocket had a rocky debut, ending in a self-destruct command just 15 minutes after its first launch on March 6, 2023. Since its failed first launch, however, H3 has pulled off five successful missions to date.
Shortly after the recent failed mission, JAXA stated that telemetry data showed that pressure in the second stage’s hydrogen tank began dropping during the first stage engine burn. As a result, the first stage engine cutoff took place 27 seconds later than planned, delaying the second ignition by 15 seconds. At the time, it wasn’t yet clear if the satellite had separated from the rocket.
JAXA officials began an investigation into the anomaly and discovered that the pressure began to drop when the rocket accidentally jettisoned its payload fairing. The satellite and payload adapter may have been damaged by the shock of the fairing separation.
Footage captured by a camera mounted on the adapter showed the satellite with apparent damage to its panels and insulation after the payload fairing had come off. A shower of debris surrounded the satellite, which clung to the rocket without its protective casing.

After the first stage shut down and separated, the jolt dislodged the satellite from its mooring, causing it to fall away from the rocket. The camera showed the satellite lost in Earth orbit during its untimely descent back to Earth. JAXA officials stated that the satellite fell in the Pacific Ocean, in the same area as H3’s first stage.
Lost in space
JAXA still does not know why the payload fairing suddenly came apart, and that part of the anomaly remains under investigation.
Japan’s H3 rocket was 11 years in the making, a successor to the H-2A, which the agency retired in June 2025. Prior to its latest failure, JAXA had been aiming for at least two H3 launches per year. The rocket was due to launch another QSZ satellite in 2026, as well as Japan’s HTV-X cargo spacecraft. Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission is also scheduled to launch on board the H3 rocket in late 2026.
The unusual payload fairing separation, however, may force the space agency to delay its plans.
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![‘Project Hail Mary’ Won’t Be Coming to Streaming Any Time Soon
With all the excitement of movies to come this week thanks to CinemaCon, it was almost easy to forget that MGM provided an interesting update on one of our favorite movies of the year that’s already out: Project Hail Mary will head back to IMAX theaters this weekend for an extended theatrical run. But that extension also means one thing: you’ll have to wait to stream it at home for a good while longer. During its presentation at CinemaCon this week MGM confirmed that Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s sci-fi hit would make its return to IMAX screens for a limited-time, one-week run starting this weekend, a move that will likely inch Project Hail Mary ever closer to crossing the $600 million box office mark. But to put a finer point on the news, Miller took to Twitter yesterday to confirm specifically that the extension means you won’t be able to watch the film at home for the forseeable future.
We announced yesterday that MGM is extending the exclusive theatrical window for PROJECT HAIL MARY so it won’t be on streaming anytime soon. This is a movie that needs to be seen on a big screen – and w a full return to IMAX screens for 1 week only starting this weekend, make… https://t.co/suK8NYpgWM — Christopher Miller (@chrizmillr) April 16, 2026 “It won’t be on streaming any time soon,” Miller’s tweet reads in part. “This is a movie that needs to be seen on a big screen […] Bring friends and loved ones. It’s an experience to share with others.” Project Hail Mary launched on March 20, so it’s not too surprising that it’s not headed home just yet—it’s just shy of a month into its theatrical window, which has now been extended by at least another week with the return to IMAX. But as studios begin to try realigning towards more theatrical releases with longer exclusivity windows again (one of the lingering aftereffects of covid’s impact on movie theaters), we should probably expect some of the biggest films of the year and beyond to try and hold off of hitting streaming for as long as they can.
At least in Project Hail Mary‘s case, you can still go and see it somewhere, even if it’s not at home. Good things come to those who wait, but for now, you can head to a movie theater to get your fix again. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Project #Hail #Mary #Wont #Coming #Streaming #TimeAmazon MGM,Project Hail Mary,Streaming ‘Project Hail Mary’ Won’t Be Coming to Streaming Any Time Soon
With all the excitement of movies to come this week thanks to CinemaCon, it was almost easy to forget that MGM provided an interesting update on one of our favorite movies of the year that’s already out: Project Hail Mary will head back to IMAX theaters this weekend for an extended theatrical run. But that extension also means one thing: you’ll have to wait to stream it at home for a good while longer. During its presentation at CinemaCon this week MGM confirmed that Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s sci-fi hit would make its return to IMAX screens for a limited-time, one-week run starting this weekend, a move that will likely inch Project Hail Mary ever closer to crossing the $600 million box office mark. But to put a finer point on the news, Miller took to Twitter yesterday to confirm specifically that the extension means you won’t be able to watch the film at home for the forseeable future.
We announced yesterday that MGM is extending the exclusive theatrical window for PROJECT HAIL MARY so it won’t be on streaming anytime soon. This is a movie that needs to be seen on a big screen – and w a full return to IMAX screens for 1 week only starting this weekend, make… https://t.co/suK8NYpgWM — Christopher Miller (@chrizmillr) April 16, 2026 “It won’t be on streaming any time soon,” Miller’s tweet reads in part. “This is a movie that needs to be seen on a big screen […] Bring friends and loved ones. It’s an experience to share with others.” Project Hail Mary launched on March 20, so it’s not too surprising that it’s not headed home just yet—it’s just shy of a month into its theatrical window, which has now been extended by at least another week with the return to IMAX. But as studios begin to try realigning towards more theatrical releases with longer exclusivity windows again (one of the lingering aftereffects of covid’s impact on movie theaters), we should probably expect some of the biggest films of the year and beyond to try and hold off of hitting streaming for as long as they can.
At least in Project Hail Mary‘s case, you can still go and see it somewhere, even if it’s not at home. Good things come to those who wait, but for now, you can head to a movie theater to get your fix again. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Project #Hail #Mary #Wont #Coming #Streaming #TimeAmazon MGM,Project Hail Mary,Streaming](https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/04/project-hail-mary-ryan-gosling-1280x853.jpg)
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