Overview
- At a MEXT expert committee briefing, JAXA assessed that the second stage and its payload very likely reentered Earth within roughly four hours of launch.
- The rocket lifted off from Tanegashima on December 22, with the fairing separating on schedule before anomalies emerged.
- Telemetry showed a rapid pressure drop in the second-stage liquid hydrogen tank followed by abnormal engine behavior.
- Subsequent second-stage burns did not proceed as planned, a satellite separation signal was sent, yet physical separation was not confirmed.
- JAXA released onboard camera images showing scattered objects, a deformed area around the satellite, and a white haze, and said no ground damage has been found.